


Ain't No Sense In Love

by Frankie1



Category: Take That
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-23
Updated: 2012-11-23
Packaged: 2017-11-19 08:51:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 54,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/571446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frankie1/pseuds/Frankie1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I wrote this pre Jason's departure from Take That, so please excuse the poetic licence. When Jenny's dream comes true, she has no idea how Jason's past will catch up with them. This is a, explicit romantic drama with some violent scenes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ain't No Sense In Love

AIN’T NO SENSE IN LOVE

Chapter 1  
The first time had been a surprise – an amazing, wonderful, exciting surprise! He was just there, sitting quietly on that bench watching the world as it hurried by. The man she had watched on stage with 80,000 other fans was just sitting there, and nobody seemed to notice him. It had taken all her courage to speak to him, afraid he would tell her to leave him alone, but he had been so wonderful. He flashed that incredible smile, chatted happily for a few minutes and made her feel like he was enjoying her company, he even agreed to a photo with her, and she knew he didn't often do that for fans. As she walked away Jenny could hardly contain her emotions – if she had died that day she’s have died happy! After that, she saw him again a few times when she was in town, she didn’t speak, but they exchanged smiles as they passed in the street. Every time it gave her a tingle of excitement, she couldn’t believe how he made her feel. It was crazy she told herself, she was a grown woman and he turned her into a silly teenager every time she saw him.  
Weeks later, on a cold, clear February afternoon she had been in town to do a little shopping and having failed to find what she wanted, she was sitting on that bench again, reading a magazine and putting off returning home, half hoping that he might walk by. Jason noticed her as he got closer, he had to admit that he was a little fascinated by her. She had seemed so pleased when he’d agreed to that photo, but she hadn’t been pushy like some women who recognised him. He guessed she was quite shy, but he found that refreshing, he knew being recognised was an occupational hazard, but it was nice that after that first time she had simply acknowledged him without wanting anything in return. She was pretty too, he thought, slim, brunette, though maybe a little older than his usual type – but maybe that was a good thing. So in that moment he made a snap decision that would change both their lives.  
Jenny was beginning to think it was time to move, she could feel the chill of the wind biting through her jacket. She was finishing the article she was reading when she sensed somebody sit down beside her. She glanced up and a short gasp escaped her lips!  
“Sorry, did I make you jump?” His soft Mancunian drawl sent a shiver of excitement down her spine.  
He smiled at her and Jenny mumbled that she had been daydreaming, her heart was pounding and she thought she must look like a complete wreck, as she hovered somewhere between hysterical tears and mad laughter.  
“It’s a bit cold to be sitting out here reading isn’t it?” Jason smiled “You must be freezing” He said softly “Why don’t you let me buy you a cup of coffee, there’s a Costa just over the road” He nodded in the direction of the coffee shop. He stood and offered his hand to encourage her to join him.  
In a heady daze of disbelief Jenny walked with him across the road and into the warmth of the shop, where the aroma of fresh coffee filled the air. The shop was almost empty, just a few shoppers taking a break from the cold, nobody looked up as they entered and Jenny couldn’t help wondering how they could fail to notice a superstar in their midst – but then again, as he stood there in that hat and coat with several day’s worth of stubble and wisps of hair falling across his face, maybe he wasn’t that recognisable!  
They found an empty table and as they sipped steaming cups of coffee Jenny found herself feeling more and more at ease. He talked about the time he had spent travelling, the places he had been and people he had met. Then he began asking her about herself, and she found herself telling him things that she hadn’t shared with anyone before. He seemed genuinely interested in her, encouraging her to tell him about her life, her work and her family. She admitted to him that her relationship with her husband was, at best, distant – they had drifted apart over the years. David had seemed unable to accept that she was becoming her own person, not just his wife, but a woman with a career and with her own mind. At first this had led to arguments, but in recent years they had settled into a sort of mutually agreed silence. She admitted that she had thought about leaving, but couldn’t face the confrontation of telling him it was over, he had such a bad temper sometimes and it was easier just to allow things to carry on rather than upset the status quo.  
A tear slid down Jenny’s face as she spoke and Jason reached across the table and wiped it away with his thumb, caressing her cheek gently. The moment was broken by the sound of a text alert on her phone, scrabbling to find it buried in her bag she knew who it would be. Sure enough the text was from David:  
*Where are my cream chinos, I need them this evening. I put them in the wash two days ago*  
It summed up their marriage in just a few words. He no longer thought of her as his wife, more like a live in housekeeper. Talking about the situation had brought to the surface all of the feelings that Jenny had been burying deep in her subconscious for years, and suddenly all the hurt and rejection came rushing to the surface. She buried her face in her hands and her shoulders shook as sobs wracked her body. Immediately Jason was beside her, his strong arms around her, she turned and allowed herself to be pulled close to him. He held her until the sobs subsided and she realised it was the first time anyone had held her like that for a very long time. She hardly knew him, but he was there for her, offering comfort in a way that she hadn’t experienced for years.  
“Come on,” He whispered “Let’s find somewhere a bit quieter to talk” She realised that a few heads were turning in their direction, she was mortified to have drawn attention to them.  
“I’m so sorry” She whispered, trying to force a smile “Bet you didn’t bank on all my emotional baggage when you offered me a coffee!”  
He took the serviette from under his coffee cup and used it to gently dry her tears. Then, taking her by the hand, he led her back out into the chilly street. They walked together past the shops and then turned into a side road. Jenny had never ventured away from the main street and had no idea where he was leading her, until he stopped, pulling a bunch of keys from his pocket and opening the front door of a beautiful Georgian building. In amazement she realised it must be his apartment building, he must have seen her hesitate, because he turned to her reassuringly  
“You don’t have to come in, if you’d rather not. I’ll walk you back to the tube if you like, it’s just a quiet place to talk, and it’s a hell of a lot warmer than sitting on that bench!”  
She laughed, thinking about all the times he had been seen doing just that, in pretty much all weathers.  
“Of course I’ll come in” She smiled “It’s just that…well…do you bring every strange woman you meet back to your apartment? I could be a complete nut job for all you know – your address could be all over the internet tomorrow!”  
“Maybe I am too trusting” He replied “But you don’t strike me as the nutty type, I’m sure you’ll be discreet, and no, I don’t bring every woman I meet back here – only the one’s I want to get to know properly”  
A lift carried them to the top floor, where Jason opened the door of his apartment, Jenny wasn’t sure what to expect but she wasn’t surprised by the tasteful, white furnished room that lay before her. A few paintings hung from the pale walls, and at the far side of the room there was a whole wall of bookcases, full of every type of book from novels to travel guides to autobiographies.  
Jason gestured to the soft, white leather sofa and she slipped off her coat and sat down, sinking into the upholstery with a sigh. He walked away towards the kitchen “Tea or coffee?” He asked as he flicked the switch on the kettle and pulled two mugs from the cupboard above.  
This was all just too surreal! Jenny simply couldn’t believe that she was there, in his flat, on his sofa, being offered a cuppa like it was the most normal thing in the world! She asked for tea and then began to apologise again for breaking down and attracting attention in Costa.  
“Seems to me like you needed to get it off your chest.” He replied gently. “Sometimes there’s nothing like a good cry and a hug to make you feel better.”  
He was right, Jenny felt like a weight had been lifted from her. She had never admitted to anyone – not even herself – how she had been feeling for the last few years. It felt so good to finally share it with someone. He made her realise that her feelings actually mattered, she hadn’t felt that way for such a long time.  
He brought their steaming mugs over, placing them on the glass coffee table, and sat beside her. His arm looped around her shoulder and he pulled her towards him gently, until she relaxed and leaned against him, her head resting on his chest. They talked more about his life, about the band, his love of travelling and reading. Jenny had always imagined him to be sensitive and articulate, just from seeing him interviewed on TV, but she could never have dreamt just how intelligent and thoughtful he could be.  
Somehow, it felt right for her to be there. She looked into his eyes and he smiled, cupping her face in his hand he drew her gently toward him, until their lips met for the first time. They kissed, softly at first but gradually with greater intensity. She had never been unfaithfully to David, despite the lack of love in their marriage in recent years and for a moment this felt very wrong, but she told herself it was just a kiss. Somehow it didn’t feel real anyway, how could it possibly be real? Any minute now she’d wake up, she thought, and find it was just a dream. But she didn’t wake up, she really was there, sitting in his arms, sharing a kiss and knowing for the first time in years that someone was actually interested in her as a woman, not just a housekeeper.  
They stayed there all afternoon, chatting and enjoying each other’s company, both of them feeling that they didn’t want their time together to end. Jason was such a gentleman, she thought, kind, thoughtful and attentive. Eventually Jenny glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.  
“Oh God, look at the time” She gasped “I need to get home, or David will wonder where I am!”  
Jason could see the anxiety on her face and wondered if she’d told him the full story about her husband, he hoped there wasn’t more to her problems than simply a lack of communication. He hated to think that she was living in fear.  
“Will you be able to get away again Jenny” He asked “Do you think we could meet next weekend?”  
Jenny could hardly believe that the day had been real, and to hear him say he actually wanted to see her again was almost more than she could comprehend. They parted company with a kiss, exchanging mobile numbers and agreeing to decide later in the week where to meet the following weekend.  
As Jenny was driving home, heart still racing and hardly able to believe what had happened that day, Jason sat alone in his apartment. He tried to rationalise what had made him break his own rule and get involved with a fan, and realised that he couldn’t. It had simply felt right, and it still did.  
Jenny’s phone pinged in her pocket, unable to resist the temptation she scrabbled around to retrieve it.  
*Hi beautiful. Had the best day today. CU soon. J xxx*  
Smiling, Jenny put the phone on the seat next to her and continued her drive back to reality. It was getting late and she was already working on excuses for not being home to cook dinner. Reality sucked she decided.

CHAPTER 2  
While Jenny spent the next few days in a sort of haze, Jason had plenty to keep him occupied. This was the week that the band were getting together to start working of some new material. It had been over a year since the end of the last tour and while they had enjoyed the break they were all itching to get back in the studio.  
Next morning Jason left his flat early to make the drive to Gary’s place where they were meeting to start work. Climbing into his beloved Mercedes 280 he turned the key in the ignition, praying that the old girl would start – as much as he loved that car he did sometimes think maybe he should just get a newer model, every journey in her was a little like a game of roulette! He breathed a sigh of relief as the engine roared into life and began his drive across town.  
He had spoken to Howard the previous evening and told him about Jenny, Howard had been less than enthusiastic about the relationship.  
“Bloody hell Jay! It’s not the 90’s now mate! Since when did you start picking up random fans you meet in the street? She could be a complete nutter for all you know!” Howard’s response was predictable, and Jason couldn’t blame him either. He had had a few relationships over the last couple of years, mostly girls he met through the band, dancers, stylists and backing vocalists. Jenny broke his own unwritten rule – never date a fan! But then the previous relationships hadn’t exactly worked out, so maybe it was time for a change.  
He hadn’t told the other lads, but there was a reason why his girlfriends never lasted more than a few weeks. Every time he started a new relationship and started to be seen out with a girl the gutter press would print pictures, half-truths and downright lies, and then it would start….  
The letters were always the same, always typewritten on pink notepaper and always containing vicious threats against whoever the current girlfriend might be. The police hadn’t been interested, not able to act unless there was an actual physical incident, which there had never been. Jason however, had always felt that the threats were real. On one occasion a girl’s car had been keyed while it was parked near his apartment, on another blood red paint was spattered on the pavement outside the door of his building. It could have just been vandals but Jason knew it wasn’t.  
So he would end it, unwilling to take a chance with somebody else’s safety. The old “it’s not you it’s me” story became all too familiar, there would be tears and sometimes anger, but then she’d be gone and the letters would stop…. until the next time.  
So, he thought, maybe this time would be different. Jenny wasn’t a celebrity, and he vowed to be careful, more discreet this time. No meals out, no clubbing, just time alone together – he’d arrange to meet her outside London too, away from prying eyes. Yes, this time it would be different.

Chapter 3  
The day at Gary’s was productive and it was really good to see the others again. Howard didn’t mention their conversation the previous night and Jason decided not to mention Jenny to the others just yet. He noticed Howard look at him a few times, as if he was wondering why Jason wasn’t saying anything, and in a quiet moment at the end of the day while Mark and Gary had gone to fetch coffee he asked why he wasn’t telling them.  
“I got enough aggro off you last night, I don’t need it from them too!” Jason replied “I’m a big boy now you know!”  
“OK fair enough mate, I was out or order last night. Sorry, I guess you know what you’re doing” Howard smiled and slapped Jason on the back “When are we going to meet this mystery woman anyway?”  
Relaxing a little, Jason smiled. “Give us a chance mate! I only met her yesterday, maybe in a week or two. I’m seeing her again at the weekend so I’ll see how she feels about it.”  
In truth he was in no hurry to introduce her to the others. It would just make it more likely that they get papped together, they could never do anything as a band without some sleazy photographer with a long lens snapping them and selling the pictures to the highest bidder. Sometimes Jason just wanted to disappear, to be invisible, to just be Jason from Wythenshawe. Sometimes he did disappear, to somewhere else in the world where nobody knew him and nobody cared what who he was with, what he was wearing or which bar he was drinking in.  
Gary and Mark returned to the room carrying coffee and a bag of doughnuts, work was done for the day and it was time to relax. They chatted as they devoured the sugar coated rings and then said their goodbyes and headed home.  
The next few days were equally productive. It felt good to be working on new material, and there was a real buzz between them. They all had a good feeling about the new album. By Friday they had the first couple of tracks almost complete and were all ready for a weekend off.  
Howard was heading to his place in the country, where his daughters were visiting for the weekend. He was like an excited kid himself all afternoon, the others knew how much he loved to spend time with his girls. Mark and Gary had family stuff happening as well, kids dance classes and football matches. Jason wasn’t exactly jealous of their family lives, but he did sometimes regret never having really settled down, somehow it had just never happened.  
When Mark asked him about his plans for the weekend he was deliberately vague, he wasn’t ready to tell them about Jenny just yet. But as Friday afternoon passed he became aware that he was clock watching, he couldn’t wait to see her again. They had exchanged a few text messages during the week, but he was aware that she needed to be discreet at home. They agreed that as it would be difficult for her to get away for a whole day at the weekend they would meet up for lunch on Saturday. Jason was keen to go somewhere quiet, outside of London, and Jenny also wanted to keep out of the public eye, for fear of being spotted and ending up in the gossip rags. They agreed that they would meet at a country pub in a village in Surrey. Jenny had found it on Google, it looked quaint with big log fires and amazing views.

Chapter 4  
When Saturday arrived Jenny was up early, chores finished and ready to go by 10.30. David was out, playing golf, as usual, and wouldn’t be home until the evening, She felt a tingle of excitement as she climbed into her car and programmed the pub’s postcode into the sat nav. Last Monday still hardly felt real and she couldn’t believe that they were going to meet again. It was an hour’s drive to The Three Horseshoes. She text Jason as she prepared to pull off the drive  
*Just leaving home. See you soon xxx*  
Before she reached the end of the road her text alert sounded  
*Perfect. Be there by 11.30 C U soon xxx*  
Oh wow! She was on her way to meet Jason Orange! He actually wanted to see her again, he was coming to meet her for lunch, this was really happening.  
It was freezing cold, and the sky had a threatening look about it as she drove across country. The weather forecast threatened snow flurries later. Jenny never usually took much notice of the weatherman, but today it seemed they might be right. By the time she got to the pub tiny flakes were falling and a dusting of snow gave the trees and hedgerows a look reminiscent of a Christmas card.  
Pulling into the car park Jenny saw Jason’s Mercedes already parked at the far end, he was sitting behind the wheel huddled down in the same hat and coat he had worn on Monday, he looked frozen. When he saw her, Jason jumped out of the car and hurried over to her, opening her door and offering a hand to help her out of her seat.  
“Hi, have you been here long? You looked cold sat in your car. Why didn’t you go inside in the warm?” Jenny couldn’t help gazing into his eyes as she spoke. They crinkled at the edges as he smiled.  
“I’ve only been here a few minutes” Jason assured her “I had to turn the heater off in the car ‘cos it drains the battery too quick. I didn’t want you to have to walk into a strange pub on your own”  
Jason slipped an arm around Jenny’s waist as they made their way across the car park, pulling her close and gently kissing her on the cheek. Flakes of snow drifted around them and settled on the frozen ground.  
They opened the heavy door of the pub and walked into the warm, cosy bar. It was almost empty, just two old men sitting at the bar, where a middle aged landlady was chatting to them and laughing.  
Jason ordered drinks and home - made soup for lunch. They found a table in front of the huge inglenook fireplace and were soon peeling off their coats and sweaters as the heat from the fire warmed them. Jenny asked about Jason’s week and was fascinated to hear how the band worked together, Jason talked animatedly about his work clearly excited by their new project.  
The landlady bought their streaming bowls of soup and crusty bread to the table and placed another log on the fire before heading back to the bar. The fire crackled and hissed as flames licked at the new log. Jason reached across the table and held Jenny’s hand, gently stroking her knuckles with his thumb.  
“I’m so glad you could get away today Jenny” He said quietly “I’ve been thinking about you all week.”  
Jenny felt her heart flutter, she still couldn’t get her head around the fact that she was there, with the man she had dreamed about for years, eating and drinking like it just the normal thing to do! In the back of her mind though was a nagging feeling that this was just too perfect, that her life could never be this good. 

Chapter 5  
They had been sitting by the fire chatting for a couple of hours or so when Jason looked up and glanced out of the window.  
“Shit!! Look at that snow!” He gasped. Jenny’s eyes followed his gaze and she was horrified to realise that while they had been talking the light snow, which had seemed so romantic when they arrived had become little short of a blizzard. Huge white flakes were falling thick and fast and they could hardly see to the other side of the road outside. The light dusting of white was now several inches thick and getting deeper by the minute.  
“Oh God, I think I’d better go Jason, if this keeps up we’ll get snowed in here!” Jenny started to get up, but Jason grabbed her arm.  
“There’s no way you can drive in this” He said “You’ll end up stranded on some country lane, or worse still off the road in a ditch somewhere. It’s so heavy you won’t be able to see where you’re going! We’ll have to sit it out here and hope it eases up soon.” Jenny knew he was right, but the lane to the pub had been steep and narrow and if this kept up much longer they’d never make it back to the main road.  
They sat anxiously watching the snow falling, it was showing no signs of easing up, if anything it was getting heavier. Jason took their empty glasses back to the bar and returned with another pint and another glass of wine.  
“I can’t have another wine” Jenny protested “I have to drive home soon!”  
“Face it Jenny, there’s no way either of us are going anywhere today. There’s at least 6 inches of snow on the road now and it’s not stopping. I’ve just spoken to the landlady and they have a room here we can have for the night. She says the road will be treacherous now and that we’d be mad to try and get out.”  
“But I can’t stay here, I have to get home…..” Jenny was cut short by Jason planting a kiss firmly on her lips. For a moment she was annoyed that he wasn’t taking her seriously, but she couldn’t resist those lips for long. Responding to him, she allowed his tongue to probe her mouth, he ran his fingers through her hair as they kissed passionately.  
“Now, what were you saying?” Jason grinned, mischievously as their lips parted. He knew why she was so worried, this was going to be difficult to explain to her husband, but no way was he going to let her risk life and limb to get home today. “You’ll have to tell him you were meeting a friend and have got snowed in – that’s true enough isn’t it? Surely he wouldn’t want you to try to drive in this weather”  
Jenny knew he was right, the thought of driving in the snow scared her, but so did the prospect of telling David that she wouldn’t be home tonight. She glanced at her watch, it was 3.30. David would still be at the golf club, probably in the bar by now. Picking up her phone she selected his number and hesitated, looking at Jason. He took her free hand, squeezing it reassuringly and nodding. Jenny pressed “Call” and held her breath, to her relief David didn’t pick up, instead she was able to leave what she hoped was a convincing message on his voicemail, telling him that she was with an old friend but that the snow had caught her out and she was going to stay the night.  
“There, that wasn’t so hard was it?” Jason whispered, leaning across and planting another kiss on her lips. “Now… as we have a room shall we go and make use of it?” He winked and gently pulled Jenny to her feet, gathering up their coats and sweaters and leading her across the bar and up the stairs in the direction the landlady had pointed when she gave him the key to the room. 

Chapter 6  
At the top of the stairs Jason opened the door to their room and burst out laughing. Purple floral wallpaper clashed violently with the hideous brown carpet and the double bed was covered with a yellow and green eiderdown which reminded him of the one his gran had when he was a kid. He dropped the armful of coats and sweaters onto a sagging armchair.  
“I guess they don’t watch home makeover shows in this part of the world” he laughed, pulling Jenny to the bed and throwing himself down pulling her on top of him. “Well at least the bed’s comfortable” he added, rolling over so they were lying side by side. Jenny was laughing too now, all thoughts of David pushed to the back of her mind as she felt Jason’s hands unbuttoning her blouse, as he gently nibbled her ear.  
Jenny felt herself tremble slightly as his hands moved down, undoing the button of her jeans and sliding inside caressing her buttock. She responded, stroking his hair with one hand while the other travelled south, fumbling with his belt as his kisses moved to the soft skin of her neck. She could feel him, hard and full beneath his jeans, pressing against her as they kissed. Wriggling out of her jeans she felt his hand move between her thighs, teasing and caressing as she writhed in pleasure. Tentatively she unzipped Jason’s jeans, releasing his erection, she grasped him and heard him moan softly as her fingers stroked and massaged.  
“Oh, that’s so good babe” he groaned, rolling on his back he pulled Jenny on top of him, gently positioning her so she was straddling his hips he pushed her up and thrust himself into her. Jenny gasped at the sensation, allowing it to overwhelm her, she lowered herself onto him, feeling him mover deeper inside her, their bodies moving in unison as the pace of their lovemaking quickened. Jason reached up, fondling her beasts, rolling her nipples between his thumb and forefinger and Jenny could take no more, her body stiffened and convulsed as she climaxed.  
When they were both spent they lay side by side panting, their discarded clothes littering the bed and the floor around them. Jason grinned, kissing her softly.  
“I’m glad it snowed” He whispered “If it hadn’t we’d both be driving home now, and we wouldn’t have just had great sex in this truly erm…unique room”  
“I’m glad too, you make me feel like I haven’t felt for years” Jenny could feel herself welling up, angry at herself she brushed a tear away.  
“Hey, it’s okay” Jason cupped her face in his hand and stroked her cheek “You deserve to be appreciated, you’re a beautiful woman and if your old man can’t see that then it’s his loss” He felt an irrational anger towards the man he had never even met, the man who had robbed Jenny of what was such a basic need – the need to feel loved. “Come on, let’s go back downstairs and see what they can offer us for dinner, I’ve worked up an appetite” He winked at Jenny as he stood up pulling on his boxers. Jenny didn’t move, she lay watching this beautiful man gracefully moving around the room, gathering his clothes and pulling them on. It wasn’t until he was fastening the chunky leather belt around his waist that she began to move, dressing herself slowly as he in turn watched her. 

Chapter 7  
The landlady had been joined behind the bar by a young man with a nose stud and a nasty case of acne. They exchanged knowing glances as Jason and Jenny re-entered the bar, clearly they had been discussing the snowbound couple and how they might be occupying themselves, and the young man was finding it difficult to disguise his amusement.  
The old men at the bar had gone, presumably they lived within walking distance because when they looked through the window it was clear that nothing short of a snowplough would make it along the lane outside. Not surprisingly nobody else had ventured out to the pub and they had the place to themselves. The fire still crackled in the inglenook and they returned to the same table they had used earlier in the day. Jason went to the bar and returned with drinks and a dinner menu. Sitting with his back to the bar Jason didn’t notice the young man staring in his direction and whispering to the landlady.  
The food was delicious, home cooked and simple, as they sipped hot coffee later that evening their conversation was interrupted by Jenny’s mobile.  
“Oh no, it’s David” a look of panic crossed her face. Jason reached across the table grasping her hand.  
“It’s ok, stay calm and stick to your story” He told her “You’re staying with a friend for the night and you’ll be home as soon as the roads are cleared”  
Jenny took a deep breath and took the call. Jason could hear the angry, raised voice at the other end of the phone and saw tears welling up in Jenny’s eyes. She hardly managed to get a word in during the call, let alone offer any explanation. By the time she put the phone down tears streamed down her face and she buried her face in her hands sobbing. Jason moved to her side, pulling her to him so her head rested on his chest, his arms wrapped around her until he felt her sobs stop and her body relax into him.  
“He doesn’t believe me” Jenny finally managed to speak. “There’s hardly been any snow at home and he says if I don’t get back tonight then I’m not to bother. I have to try and get home Jason, I don’t have any choice. Maybe if I can get back to the main road it won’t be so bad”  
“Jenny, there’s no way. You won’t even get out of the car park, look at it out there!” Jason held her face cupped in his hands and looked directly into her eyes “Please, you have to stay here. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you.” He hugged her close now “It’ll be ok, I promise” He whispered, and somehow as she allowed him to hold her, Jenny believed him.

Chapter 8  
As the fire began to die down, the lad with bad skin collected glasses from their table, clearly hinting that they would quite like to close early. Jenny noticed him looking at Jason and idly wondered if he had recognised him. By this time they had had several more drinks, and Jenny, who rarely had more than one glass of wine with dinner, was feeling decidedly tipsy.  
“Come on, I think it must be time for bed” Jason grinned. It was only 9.30 but Jenny’s head felt fuzzy and she wanted to sleep.  
He stood and offered her his hand. Taking it, Jenny stood up, but as she did the world started spinning and she stumbled sideways, hitting her shoulder on the stone fireplace.  
“Hey, careful!” Jason exclaimed looping his arm around her to steady her “Are you ok?”  
“I’m fine” giggled Jenny, she felt warm and fuzzy and all thoughts of the row that was awaiting her at home had, at least temporarily, gone.  
They made their way back up the stairs and into their room closing the door on the outside world for the night. Jenny hadn’t felt this drunk for a long time, her head was spinning now and she flopped down on the bed like a rag doll, just wanting to sleep.  
“Come on young lady” Jason teased “You can’t stay there like that all night. Let’s get you undressed and into bed”  
“I bet you say that to all the girls” Jenny giggled as he began undoing her shoes. He gently undressed her, and helped her, naked into the bed, pulling the covers over her. She lay there half asleep watching him as he kicked off his shoes and peeled off his t shirt, jeans and boxers. Even in her rather drunken state she couldn’t help but marvel at his body, slim, tanned and beautiful. He climbed into bed beside her and flicked off the light, his strong, lean arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer, he stroked her hair and kissed her gently as she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 9  
Jenny woke next morning with a headache, she rolled over, confused for a moment by the unfamiliar surroundings, her right shoulder was stiff and sore and she vaguely remembered hitting it on the fireplace the night before. The other side of the bed was empty, no sign of Jason in the room. As she looked around she realised he couldn’t have gone far. His clothes were stacked neatly on the saggy old armchair, where the hell had he gone without his clothes? At that moment the door to the room opened and Jason entered, a small white towel wrapped around his slim hips.  
“Good morning Babe” He smiled “How are you feeling?”  
“Hi” Jenny smiled weakly “I think I had too much to drink last night, I’m sorry”  
“Hey, don’t apologise. How’s your shoulder? You gave it a proper bang when you fell into that fireplace”  
“It’s a bit sore” Jenny admitted  
“Let me see” Jason sat beside her on the side of the bed “Ouch! That’s quite a bruise you’ve got there!” His fingers gently stroked her sore shoulder “Let me kiss it better” he murmured, and his lips brushing softly against her skin.  
“Mmmm, that feels better already” Jenny sighed. “What time is it? I should go and have a shower. Has it stopped snowing?”  
“It’s 7.30 and yes, the snow has stopped. Maggie, that’s the landlady, just told me one of the farmers will be along with a tractor to clear the road soon. She’s doing us breakfast now, so go and have your shower and we’ll go and eat and work out what we’re going to do about getting you home safely.” In truth Jason had been thinking of little else since he woke up. He was worried, not only able the state of the roads, but also about what would await Jenny when she did eventually make it home. 

“The bathroom is the first door on your left along the corridor” He handed Jenny a towel, only slightly larger than the one that was still wrapped around him.  
While she was taking her shower Jason made a decision. He couldn’t let Jenny drive home alone to face her angry, jealous husband. By the time she returned he was dressed and ready to head down for breakfast. Towelling herself dry Jenny pulled on her knickers and jeans, slipping her bra over her breasts she started to reach back to fasten it, wincing at the pain in her shoulder as she did.  
“Hey, let me help you Babe” Jason deftly fastened the lacy bra, and gently kissed the back of her neck. He picked up her blouse and helped her slide it over her shoulders.

Chapter 10  
When they got down to the bar the smell of bacon cooking filled the air and Jenny felt more than a little queasy. Jason on the other hand was ravenous, he rarely ate anything other than muesli for breakfast, but he had a feeling this was going to be a long day, and he decided that it wouldn’t hurt to indulge in a nice plate of cholesterol.  
They sat at the same table as the previous day and the landlady, Maggie, brought out a rack of hot toast and two plates of eggs, bacon and beans.  
“There you go my loves” She smiled “Did you sleep well?”  
“Yes, thank you” Jason replied “When will the road be cleared, do you know yet? We really need to get going as soon as possible”  
“Well, George from up the farm said he’s be coming along by 9 to clear it so he should be here any time now. Not had snow like that for years you know, proper blizzard wasn’t it?” Not waiting for an answer she headed back to the kitchen.  
Jenny picked at her eggs and bacon, but managed a slice of toast as she watched Jason tuck into his breakfast as though he hadn’t eaten for a week. In truth, it wasn’t just the hangover that was putting her off her food.  
She had a nagging fear gnawing deep in her gut, she would soon have to go home and face David. Had he been serious, she wondered, when he told her not to bother coming home, he had certainly sounded pretty serious. She knew he had every right to be angry, she was having an affair for God’s sake, but she was sure he didn’t know that. She hoped when she got home that he would have seen the weather reports on the news and realise that she really had been snowed in, then maybe he’d calm down and things would be at least bearable at home.  
“I’ve been thinking” Jason interrupted her thoughts. “There’s no way I’m letting you go home on your own today. So I thought I’d follow you in my car, that way I’ll know you made it safely, and I can hang around just in case you have any trouble with David”  
“You don’t have to do that Jason, honestly. I’ll be fine driving home, and I’m sure David will have seen sense by the time I get there, he’ll have seen the snow reports on the news by now and know I really couldn’t get home last night. Anyway, it’s completely the opposite direction to where you need to go!”  
“We’re not going to have our first argument are we Jenny” Jason was only half joking, he was not about to take no for an answer on this one. “I’m coming back with you, end of discussion!” One look at his face told Jenny that there was no point in arguing.  
“OK” she sighed “Follow me back, but please let me go and speak to David alone, if he sees you he’ll know I’ve been lying. You’ll have to park up the road and wait, I’ll text you when we’ve sorted everything out.”  
“OK, that’s a deal” Jason smiled, leaning across the table to kiss her tenderly. 

Chapter 11  
By 9.30 a tractor with a scoop on the front had cleared the worst of the snow from the road, making it at least passable, if still pretty treacherous. By 10am Jason settled the bill with Maggie and they trudged across the snowbound car park, Jason carried a shovel which she had lent him to dig the snow away from the wheels of their cars so they could begin their journey. It took another half an hour to finally get out of the car park and onto the road, which offered about as much traction under their wheels as an ice rink. They crawled at a snail’s pace back down the hill towards the main road, and were both very relieved when they got there ,to see that the gritting trucks had done a good job, the main road was largely clear of snow, dirty grey slush squelched beneath their wheels as they travelled south towards Jenny’s home town.  
They had agreed before starting their journey that Jenny would go into the house alone when they got there, and Jason would sit in his car outside and a little way up the road, out of sight, until she text to say all was well. Despite her efforts to stay positive, Jenny became more and more anxious as they got closer to home. She had a horrible knot in the pit of her stomach and a dread that today would be the day that her life would be completely and permanently changed. Knowing that Jason cared enough to be there for her was comforting, but she was painfully aware that they really hardly knew each other, would he still be there for her next week, next month?  
Pulling into her road she could see David’s car on the drive, she could feel her heart pounding as she pulled up, and much as she had tried to stop Jason coming with her, she was now so glad he had insisted, just knowing he was nearby was somehow reassuring. As she climbed out of her car she saw Jason pull into a parking space a few yards up the road, he rolled his window down and gave her an encouraging smile.

Chapter 12  
As soon as she opened the front door Jenny realised immediately that something was wrong. In the hall several black bags lay untidily against the wall and she could hear drawers and cupboards slamming shut upstairs. She has a sudden urge to turn and run, but before she could David was running down the stairs, she had never seen him look so angry.  
“Take your stuff and get out” He yelled as he approached “I know where you’ve been, you lying bitch!”  
“David…please…” Jenny took a step back as he reached her.  
He grabbed her roughly by the hair and shoved her against the wall. Pinning her there with a hand at her throat he grabbed a newspaper from the hall table, thrusting it in her face.  
“Look, you little whore!” He yelled “Half the country knows exactly what you were doing last night!”  
To her horror Jenny saw the blurred image and the gossip page headline:  
“Snowbound Take That Star Comforts New Lover”  
The photo was dark and looked like it had been taken on a cheap phone, but there was no denying it was her, with Jason cradling her in his arms and kissing her. She remembered that stupid spotty lad behind the bar, staring at them all evening. He’d taken a picture and sold it to the papers! How could he?! God, was this what Jason had to put up with all the time?  
Even as she tried to process what she was seeing, David was pulling on her hair, dragging her to the front door. It felt as though he was ripping her hair out at the roots, then he shoved her, and she was falling, headlong across the drive. Landing heavily on her knees and falling forward, hands outstretched to save herself she crashed into a heap. David was still yelling at her from the doorway, throwing black bags out behind her. She could see her clothes spilling out across the drive as the bags fell around her. She tried to stand and as she did David was there again, dragging her to her feet.  
Everything was happening so quickly, as she tried to get her balance David slapped her, hard across the face, sending her staggering backwards again, falling and hitting the back of her head on the brick driveway. Then she saw Jason, running, yelling, grabbing David and pulling him away from her. She could taste blood in her mouth, and her head was spinning.  
“Go Jenny!” Jason was shouting “Get in the car!” But she was rooted to the spot, to horrified to move.  
It was like a scene from some awful movie, Jason turned to look at her as he struggled to hold David back. As he allowed his attention to shift away from her furious husband for a moment, she saw David strike out, his fist connecting hard with Jason’s face. Losing his grip on David, he put a hand up to his face, blood trickling between his fingers from a gash on his cheekbone.  
“Get off my driveway you piece of shit!” David was yelling “and take the bitch whore with you!” Then to Jenny’s relief David turned and stormed back into the house, flinging her handbag out of the door, before slamming it with such force that she thought the glass in it would shatter, and then suddenly it was quiet. She felt as though a tornado had ripped through her life, tearing apart everything she knew, and now it was gone.

 

Chapter 13  
Stunned and dazed, tears streamed down Jenny’s face as she sat on the cold driveway, her head throbbing. Jason, blood running down his face, came to her side, helping her to her feet, he looked as stunned by the violent confrontation as she was.  
“Are you ok Jenny?” He asked, his arm looping around her waist as she wobbled slightly, feeling the world begin to spin for a moment. “I think we need to get you checked out. You really hit your head hard when you fell”  
“No, Jason, really…I’ll be fine, can we just get away from here….please?” Jenny couldn’t face the idea of doctors or hospitals, she just wanted to be somewhere quiet.  
“I’m so sorry” she whispered, gently wiping blood from Jason’s cheek with her thumb. “Look at what he did to you.” The swelling around his cheekbone looked painful, and his left eye already half swollen shut.  
“What are we going to do Jason? You can’t drive all the way back to London like that. You’re the one that needs a doctor, that cut looks like it needs stitches.” Jenny couldn’t think straight, she felt dizzy, and if she was honest with herself, she realised she probably had concussion.  
Jason had to agree that the idea of negotiating the snow disrupted roads into London was less than appealing, his face hurt like hell and he was worried about Jenny. He had heard her head crack against the ground, and was sure that her dazed state was not just down to the shock of what had just happened.  
“Let’s get you into my car first babe, then we’ll decide where to go. I think I have an idea, but I need to make a call first.” He gently guided her to his car, opening the passenger door and helping her inside. “I’ll go and get your stuff then we’ll get away from here ok”  
Returning to the driveway, he picked up one of the black bags and began stuffing the loose items of clothing into it. When the drive was clear he stuffed the bin bags into the boot of his car, passed Jenny her handbag and climbed into the driver’s seat. Jenny watched as he reached for his phone, scrolled through his contacts and hit the call button.  
“Howie mate, yeah it’s Jay. Hi…… Yes, yes I saw that, bloody idiot papers! Howard, listen, I’ve got a bit of a…..situation mate. Are you still down south? ….. You are, that’s great. Look, do you think I could drop round in a bit, I’ll have Jenny with me….. That’s great Howie, thanks mate. Oh, Howie, are your girls still with you? ….. That’s good, we’ll be there in about 45 minutes…. See you soon mate”  
“There, all sorted” Jason said as he put his phone away. “Howard has a place not too far from here, we can go there and get cleaned up and I’m sure he can get his GP to do a private house call if necessary”  
“Are you sure he won’t mind you taking me there ” Jenny asked.  
“He’s fine with it, honestly. He’s there on his own, his daughters were staying but they’ve gone home now. He might get a bit of a shock when we turn up in this mess, but he’s good in a crisis is Howie.” Jason wiped away the blood that continued to trickle down his face and turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared into life and they pulled away. Tears ran down Jenny’s face as they pulled out of the road where she had lived for the last 10 years, things were never going to be the same again.

Chapter 14  
The drive to Howard’s took less than an hour. The house was gorgeous, very old and set in the middle of the Dorset countryside. Jenny had been quiet on the journey, too quiet Jason thought. He was still worrying about that bang on the head. But as they pulled up the gravel driveway she stared out of the window at the ivy clad building.  
“Wow, this is beautiful!” She muttered softly. “Are you absolutely sure this will be ok with him? I feel like a wreck, and I’m pretty sure I don’t look any better. I can’t help feeling I’ll be lowering the tone around here” She tried to smile, but winced at the cut on her lip. The back of her hair was matted with blood from the bang on her head and her whole body ached.  
“Don’t be daft, this is Howie we’re talking about. Howie form Droylsden” Jason grinned. “He’ll be totally ok, trust me”  
In truth Jason wished now that he had warned Howard before they arrived that they had been in a fight. The cut on his cheek seemed to have stopped bleeding , but he could hardly see out of his left eye now. Jenny had a swollen lip and her clothes were torn from falling. They really did look a state!  
Howard must have heard the tyres crunching on the gravel. Because he opened the front door and bounded down the steps to greet them before they had even climbed out of the car. The grin on his face evaporated the moment Jason stepped out of the driver’s door.  
“Holy shit Jay! What happened to you?” He hugged his friend tightly, then held him at arm’s length, examining the damage that David’s fist had done. “I bet that hurts mate”  
“I’m fine, really” Jason managed a smile and hoped he sounded convincing.  
While the boys were greeting each other Jenny opened her door and started to ease herself painfully out of the car, damn, it was a long way up! Everything seemed to have stiffened up while she had sat still for the drive down and now her muscles protested as she moved. Seeing her struggling both the boys were soon there helping her to her feet.  
“Oh God, not you as well!” Howard exclaimed “Let’s get the two of you inside, before you scare the neighbours! Then you can tell me what the hell’s been going on”  
Once inside the house Howard led them to the huge kitchen.  
“Okay, let’s hear it then” He said once they were settled “I’m guessing I’m not the only person who read the gossip column this morning, right?” 

 

Chapter 15

While Jason and Jenny gave Howard an abridged version of their traumatic morning, Howard was rooting through cupboards, gathering a bowl, a bottle of antiseptic and some gauze from a small first aid kit. Filling the bowl with warm water, he added a heftly amount of the strong smelling antiseptic liquid and set the whole lot down on the table.  
“OK, let’s get the two of you cleaned up then. Jay, you first, I can’t see properly what’s going on with that cut with all that dry blood all over you, but I reckon it’s going to need stitches”  
Sighing Jason turned his chair to face his good friend.  
“Be gentle with me” He joked. Then wincing… “Shit, Howard! I said be gentle!” Jenny reached across the table to hold Jason’s hand, tears threatening again as she saw the pain on his face – this was all her fault.  
“Sorry mate” Howard apologised, as he finished cleaning the blood away. “That’s nasty, you really need to get it looked at.”  
“Ok, in a bit mate.” Jason knew Howard was right, but the last thing he wanted was the press getting hold of this story. He hoped Howard would agree to get a local doctor to come and see them rather than risk a trip to A&E. In any case, he was still more worried about Jenny. She was just too quiet, and he was sure it wasn’t just that she felt shy around Howard.  
Pouring the blood stained water out of the bowl and refilling it Howard came back to the table and sat down in front of Jenny.  
“Are you ok with me doing this?” Howard asked “I’m not a great nurse, but I’ll do my best”  
Jenny nodded, she was too exhausted to care now. Jason was holding her hand across the table, stroking her knuckles gently with his thumb. Howard dipped the gauze into the warm antiseptic solution and gently began cleaning the cut on her lip. I hurt, but the pain was better than the numb, groggy, detached feeling that had dominated the last hour or two.  
“There, that doesn’t look so bad now” Howard said “You’ll have a fat lip for a few days but no permanent damage. Now turn around and let’s see where all that blood in your hair is coming from”  
Jenny started to get up, to turn herself around, but before she managed to pull herself up from the chair Howard realised what an effort it was.  
“Never mind, stay where you are” He said, putting a hand on her shoulder, and moving behind her.  
Jason and Howard exchanged glances across the table. They could both see that Jenny was struggling. She looked exhausted and tears were never far from her eyes. Jason squeezed her hand a little tighter and gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He couldn’t begin to imagine how she must be feeling, but he guessed shell shocked. Her whole world had just fallen apart around her, and she was not only dealing with the emotional pain of losing everything she knew. She was also quite obviously feeling physically battered and bruised as well.  
Howard settled himself behind Jenny and began gently washing the dried blood from her hair, she had a large bump on the back of her head where it had connected with the ground, but with the blood cleaned away Howard could see it had come from a graze, rather than a deep cut.  
“OK all done” He said standing up and taking the bowl and it’s contents over to the sink. “Now, I’m going to make a call. There’s a GP who lives just along the road. He owes me a favour, I DJ’d for his daughter’s 21st birthday a few years back. I’ll see if he’ll come and take a look at the pair of you”  
Howard left them alone while he went to make the call. Jason moved around the table, sitting on the chair next to Jenny he gently scooped her up and sat her on his lap like a child, stroking her damp hair away from her face. Then cupping her face in his hand he kissed her softly, first on the forehead, then the cheek then, even more softly, on her swollen lip. Suddenly it was as though the floodgates had opened, Jenny flung her arms around him, buried her head on his chest and, no longer able to keep the fear and anguish bottled up, she allowed it to take over. He held her until the tears subsided, whispering softly that everything would be alright, that he’d take care of her. 

Chapter 16  
She wasn’t aware of Howard returning to the room, but when she looked up he was standing at the worktop pouring water from the kettle into three mugs. Embarrassed by her display of emotion she wiped tears from her face and lifted her head from Jason’s chest, his T shirt was damp from her tears. The doorbell rang loudly, making her jump. God, her nerves were shot.  
“It’s ok babe” Jason whispered, “that’ll be the doctor”.  
Howard placed three steaming mugs of tea on the table before going to open the door. He returned, followed by a tall, elderly man with black rimmed glasses and carrying a black bag. The doctor didn’t seem overly pleased to have been disturbed on his Sunday off, he looked disapprovingly at Jenny and Jason.  
“This is Dr Jenkins” Howard introduced the frowning doctor.  
“Right, I’m guessing you two are the patients” Dr Jenkins growled “If you can tear yourself apart for five minutes I’ll take a look at you”  
Jenny climbed painfully off of Jason’s lap and sat back in the other chair, somehow feeling like a naughty schoolgirl all of a sudden.  
“That’s better. Right young man, you first” He snapped. “I’m not going to ask how this happened - none of my business – just let me have a proper look at the damage”  
Jason turned himself to face the doctor, who had donned a pair of latex gloves, he prodded none to gently at the wound, pulling the edges, starting it bleeding again and making Jason wince.  
“Yep, that’ll need a couple of stitches” He confirmed what they already knew. Rummaging through his bag the doctor assembled all the necessary equipment on a sterile sheet on the kitchen table.  
“Right, all set. I’ll put some local in first so I can clean it properly, you don’t want in infection in there do you. This’ll sting a bit.” Dr Jenkins worked efficiently, and within ten minutes the job was finished and he stepped back to admire his handywork.  
“You next young lady, let’s have a look at you. You fell backwards and hit your head, right?” Jenny nodded weakly and sat quietly while the doctor checked her over, shining a torch into her eyes and examining the bump on her head.  
“OK, all done” he said and began loading his equipment back into his bag “Doesn’t look like there’s any serious damage, but if you have any blurred vision or start vomiting get yourself to the hospital. Take some paracetamol, and try to get some rest, that goes for you too young man. Those stitches will need to come out in a week or so. I’ll see myself out” and with that he picked up his bag and was gone.

Chapter 17  
“Well” Howard said, breaking the uneasy silence in the kitchen “He was a barrel of laughs wasn’t he! Sorry guys, I had no idea what a miserable old sod he could be. Anyway, at least you two are properly patched up now. It’s getting late and I’m starving, shall I phone for a take away. There’s a great curry place in the village, and they deliver.”  
Jason and Jenny hadn’t eaten since breakfast back at the Three Horseshoes, and that felt like a lifetime ago, they readily agreed to Howard’s suggestion.  
“While we’re waiting for the food do you mind if we go and freshen up a bit mate” Jason asked  
“Of course Jay, no problem, you know where everything is. Make yourselves at home and help yourself to some clean clothes if you need to.”  
Taking Jenny by the hand Jason led her up to the guest bedroom. The en suite was large with a walk in shower and a bath tub. He found her a large fluffy towel and a selection of expensive looking toiletries.  
“You shower first, I’ll run out to the car and bring some of your clothes in for you” He said “Will you be ok? You still look pretty wobbly ”  
“I’ll be fine, honestly. I’m sure I’ll feel better when I get myself cleaned up properly” Jenny couldn’t wait to get out of the dirty torn clothes she was wearing and to feel clean again. When he left the bathroom she turned on the shower and began slowly stripping off the grubby clothes that she had been wearing for the last two days. She felt like she’d been hit by a bus, everything ached and she was exhausted.  
Standing under the hot water a few minutes later she heard Jason coming back into the bedroom. After a while the bathroom door opened and Jason stood naked in the doorway.  
“Can I join you?” He smiled.  
Oh God he was just too perfect, she thought as he stepped into the shower cubicle. Turning, she reached up and stroked his face, running her thumb gently over his bruised, swollen cheekbone.  
“I’m so sorry…..” she began, but her sentence was cut short as he kissed her.  
“Shhh…” he whispered “Here, let me help you” He took the sponge from her hand and poured shower gel onto it, gently washing her aching, tired body. Then he poured shampoo into his hands and began carefully washing her hair, he parted the hair away from the bump on her head and kissed it softly.  
“Make love to me Jason” Jenny whispered. She needed him now, needed the closeness and the affection.  
He took her in his arms and looked into her eyes. She looked so fragile standing naked in front of him, bruises covered her pale skin and her eyes had a hollow, haunted look.  
“Are you sure?” He asked “I don’t want to hurt you”  
She nodded, putting her arms around him and pulling him close, until their wet bodies pressed together. The shower continued to cascade over them as they kissed. His hands explored her body, softly caressing her, travelling down her back to her hips, pulling her closer, his erection pressing against her.  
“Are you ok babe?” He murmured as he kissed her neck “Are you sure you want this?”  
“Yes…please, yes” and she felt his hand move between her thighs, teasing her until she thought she might explode. Then, just as she thought she could take no more, he was inside her, moving in a slow, gentle rhythm, his hands squeezing her buttocks. He kissed and nibbled at her neck and her ear as their bodies writhed in pleasure, both of them needing the release that it brought.  
When they were both spent, and they had rinsed the remaining soap from their bodies, Jason turned off the water and they stepped from the shower. He picked up a towel, drying off his tousled hair before wrapping it around his hips. Then, taking the other towel from the rail, he began drying Jenny, first her hair and then working down her body, until he was kneeling in front of her, drying her toes.  
The moment was broken by Howard calling up the stairs  
“Hey guys, the curry’s here. Are you coming back down?”

Chapter 18

Giggling like schoolchildren as they quickly pulled on clean clothes, they made their way back to the kitchen, where Howard had already laid their food out on the table.  
“Jeez Howie! Are you feeding an army here?!” Jason laughed at the foil trays that covered the whole table. There were poppadums, nan breads, chutney, rice and half a dozen different curry dishes, a bottle of wine and several bottles of Cobra beer. There was also a pack of paracetamol tablets and two glasses of water.  
“Help yourselves” Howard smiled “I wasn’t sure what you’d want Jenny, so I got a selection of stuff”  
Howard and Jason ate as though they hadn’t seen food for a month, while Jenny picked at some rice and a small helping of curry. It had been a long, dreadful day and even Jason’s exquisite lovemaking couldn’t make her forget that she was now effectively homeless, all her worldly goods rammed into a few black bin bags. As she half-heartedly tackled her food she tried to formulate some sort of plan for her future, but her head ached and she felt as though she was thinking through a fog. Her muddled thoughts were interrupted by Howard’s mobile ringing. He held the phone out for Jason to see that it was Mark calling.  
“Hi Markie, how are you doing?” Howard answered the call. “Err….yeah, actually he’s sitting next to me. Hang on….” He held out the phone to Jason  
“Mark’s been trying to call you all afternoon, where’s your phone?”  
“Shit! I must have left it in the car when we got here” Jason took the phone from Howard.  
“Hi Mark, sorry mate. Yeah, it’s been a bit of a hectic day, I left my phone in my car. Yes, I did see it…. Jenny, her name’s Jenny…. Yes, she’s here now actually.... It’s complicated Markie, we’ve had a spot of bother today, and Howard’s place was nearby” Jason knew Mark would be horrified when he saw him, he’d been pretty shocked himself when he looked in the mirror. “We’ll be fine Mark honestly, there was a bit of a fight earlier…….” He waited while Mark swore and asked a string of questions without giving him a chance to answer.  
“Jenny has a husband Mark and things got a bit messy when he saw that article…. Of course I had to get involved, I wasn’t going to stand back and watch him hurt her…. She’ll be ok” Jason glanced at Jenny and gave her an apologetic smile “a bit shaken up and some bruises….. Me? I’ll be fine…. Well I’ve been better, got a bit of a black eye and a few stitches…” There was a long pause as Jason held the phone away from his ear and rolled his eyes. Howard and Jenny could hear Mark at the other end of the line clearly having a minor fit. Eventually Jason spoke again  
“For God’s sake Markie! I’m fine, stop being an old mother hen. We’ll be there tomorrow so you can see for yourself…. Yes of course I should be working! OK…. Yes, yes I know you’re worried, but I promise I’ll be fine….. No I haven’t spoken to Gaz…. Yeah, would you mind Mark, that’d be a good idea, better warn him before we turn up at his place tomorrow, can you tell him I’m bringing Jenny with me, she had a bang on the head and I don’t want to leave her. But please Mark, don’t over dramatize, I don’t want him worrying too. OK, yeah thanks Mark… Yeah, I’ll tell her…OK, see you tomorrow. Take care….Bye”  
“Mark says he hopes you’re ok” Jason sighed as he handed the phone back to Howard.  
“Well, at least they won’t get such a shock tomorrow” Howard said, pushing the phone back into his pocket.  
“Jason, why did you say I’d go with you?” Jenny asked “I can’t just come to London, I need to get myself sorted out, find somewhere to stay…”  
“You can stay with me babe. At least until we can find you somewhere permanent, and like I said to Mark, you shouldn’t be on your own for at least 24 hours, I’m still worried about that bump on your head”  
“But I have a job, I need to be back at work. I’ll be fine” She protested. But Jason was having none of it.  
“Look at yourself Jenny, you can’t possibly go to work like that” Jason said firmly, reaching across to hold her hand. “You can call them tomorrow and tell them you’re not well, which you’re not” He turned to Howard to back him up. “Tell her Howie, there’s no way she can work in this state is there?”  
“Jay’s right Hun” Howie agreed “You look absolutely done in. Take some time off, they’ll manage without you for a week or two”  
She had to admit that she really didn’t feel up to work, her head was still thumping, despite the painkillers that Howard had dished out to both of them before they ate. Her whole body felt sore and her muscles ached, but she felt sure in a day or two she’d be fine. She never took time off work, this would be her first sick leave in two years, she hated letting them down, but she knew he was right.  
“OK, I’ll come with you, if you’re sure I’m not going to be in the way. Just until I find somewhere nearer to home though.” Jenny relented, and Jason smiled and kissed her.  
They sat together for a while, Jason and Howard discussed the journey back to London and the best way to arrange the backing vocals to one of the songs they were working on. Any other time Jenny would have been fascinated to learn about the song writing process, but just now she felt too tired. Her eyelids felt heavy and she was struggling to stay awake, she glanced at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall, it was nearly 11.30. She tried to stifle a yawn.  
“Hey, are you ok babe? You look wiped out. Do you want to go to bed?” Jason stroked her shoulder, running his hand down her arm. Jenny nodded apologetically.  
“I think I need some sleep” She nodded “Sorry, I’ve been rubbish company tonight. What time did you decide we need to leave tomorrow?”  
“Not til about 9.30” Howard answered “Gary’s not expecting us til about lunchtime”  
“Come on then babe, I’ll come up with you” Jason took her hand and they both stood up “Howie, thanks for today mate, I don’t know what we’d have done without you”  
“Anytime Jay, you’d have done the same for me” Howard smiled “Just don’t make a bloody habit of it! I’ll just tidy up down here before I come up, or Sophia will have a fit when she comes in tomorrow – don’t want to have to start looking for a new cleaner. Goodnight ”

Chapter 19  
Jason and Jenny left Howard loading their plates into the dishwasher and scraping leftover curry into the bin. When they got to the bedroom he slipped an arm around her waist and led her to the kingsize bed.  
“I know what you need” He whispered in here ear.  
“Oh, Jason, I’m sorry, I’m too tired….” Jenny began  
“Not that” Jason grinned “I was thinking a massage. Would you like that?”  
“Oh God, that sounds like absolute bliss” she smiled. Every muscle in her body felt like it had been tied in knots and the thought of a massage was just heaven. “Are you sure you don’t mind? You must be shattered too”  
Jason smiled, peeling off the shirt and jeans he’d borrowed from Howard’s wardrobe he headed into the bathroom and returned with a small bottle of oil.  
Jenny had already slipped out of her clothes and was lying on the bed, with the duvet draped across her hips. Jason frowned at the bruises on her naked body. He climbed onto the bed beside her, kneeling close to her, and poured oil into his hands.  
He started at her shoulders, kneading at the knotted muscles at the base of her neck. Gradually he worked down her back, moving slowly and soothingly. His hands were strong yet gentle, applying just enough pressure without being too rough, skimming more softly over the purple bruises on her shoulder and her ribs. It felt wonderful. Jenny felt herself begin to relax properly for the first time since she woke that morning.  
“Oh Jason, that’s so good” she sighed, as he continued to massage the sweet smelling oil into her skin.  
Eventually, when his hands reached the small of her back, he leant forward and began kissing her, first her neck, then her shoulders.  
“All done” He whispered “Did you enjoy that? How do you feel now?”  
“It was wonderful” Jenny smiled, rolling over to look up at him. He smiled back, and despite the fact that his eye was now swollen shut and a row of stitches held together the inch long cut on his cheekbone, she still thought how utterly beautiful he was. “Thank you, Jason…..” She didn’t finish her sentence, he kissed her softly on the lips, lying down beside her and gathering her into his arms. She felt safe there, as he held her close to him, her skin was still slick from the massage oil, and his hands slid over her body caressing her, moving down to her hips.  
He wanted nothing more than to make love to her again, right at that moment. He ached for her, but he knew she was exhausted. He needed sleep too, he told himself, and forced himself to move his hands away from her hips. Stroking her face, he looked into her eyes.  
“Sleep now babe” He whispered. Giving he a final kiss on the forehead “You need to get some rest”  
“Goodnight” Jenny murmured. She loved to feel him holding her, but right now she was just too tired. It took only a few moments for her to fall asleep.

Chapter 20  
Jason had no idea what time it was when he was woken suddenly by Jenny’s anguished scream.  
“No, please stop!” She cried, thrashing from side to side in the bed beside him.  
“Jenny…Jenny babe… wake up. You’re having a bad dream” Jason shook her shoulders. She opened her eyes and sat upright in the bed, shaking in terror.  
“It’s OK Jenny, it was just a dream” He repeated “You’re safe, nobody’s going to hurt you” He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly until she began to calm down and her rapid breathing returned to normal.  
“I’m sorry” She said eventually “I dreamt that David was coming after us with his brothers and they were all attacking us and we couldn’t get away…. I thought they were going to kill you….I was so scared…”  
Jason held her a while longer, telling her everything would be alright. He felt her body slowly relax.  
“Go back to sleep babe” He said, stroking her hair, which was damp with sweat. “Everything is going to be alright, I’ll take care of you”  
They lay down together then, Jenny curled in a foetal position, with Jason lying behind her, their bodies pressed together. His lips skimmed her neck briefly before they both drifted back to sleep.  
The next time he woke, pale winter sunlight shone into the room. Jason scrabbled for his watch on the bedside table. It was 8.15. Leaving Jenny sleeping he climbed out of bed, making his way to the bathroom. He half hoped that the throbbing in his face felt worse than it looked, but he somehow doubted it. He still couldn’t see anything out of his left eye and sure enough, when he looked in the mirror he was a mess. Bloody hell, he thought, gingerly prodding at the bruise, maybe some ice would make the swelling go down a bit, before he had to face Mark and Gary.  
He showered quickly and dressed in more borrowed clothes before returning to the bedroom to wake Jenny. She looked so peaceful sleeping he was reluctant to disturb her, but it was 8.30 now and they really needed to get away by 9.30.  
“Hi babe” He said quietly “Good morning” She rolled over and groaned.  
“Good morning” She replied sleepily, pulling a face as she sat up “Any chance of another massage? I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck”  
“I’d love to, but can you settle for a hot shower and a quick neck rub. We need to get going in a bit”  
Jenny swung her legs out of bed, standing naked in front of Jason, she stood on tiptoes to plant a kiss on his lips.  
“OK, I won’t be long in the shower, will you wait there for me? I’ll take you up on the neck rub”  
Standing under the hot shower a few minutes later Jenny carefully washed her hair, trying to avoid the painful bump on the back of her head. The hot water felt good, and by the time she stepped out of the cubicle she felt almost human again. Towelling dry, she found a comb and tried to bring her hair under control, before returning, with the towel wrapped around her, to the bedroom to hunt through the black bags that were propped against the bedroom wall to find clean clothes to wear. Jason sat watching her from the bed, as she became increasingly frustrated. She found some jeans and a bra in one bag and was now rummaging through another, looking for knickers and a sweater. His heart went out to her, the last however many years of her life had been reduced to a few black sacks. Moving from the bed, he stood behind her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he kissed her neck.  
“Leave that for the minute. How about that neck rub?” He said “Come and sit down”  
Jenny allowed herself to be guided back to the bed, where Jason sat on the edge. Pulling her onto his lap, he picked up the oil which was still on the bedside table from the night before. Pouring some onto his hands he began massaging her neck and shoulders, his thumbs rotating over her sore muscles. She wished she could stay there forever, it felt so good, but after a few minutes he stopped, kissing her neck again.  
“C’mon, let’s find you something to wear” Jason, lifted her from his lap and together they managed to locate a suitable sweater and some lace briefs. 

Chapter 21  
When they entered the warm kitchen a few minutes later Howard was sitting at the table, reading a newspaper and sipping fresh coffee.  
“Morning guys” He smiled when he saw them “Did you sleep ok?”  
“Not bad thanks” Jason replied pouring two coffees and setting them on the table before sitting next to Jenny. “Got any muesli?”  
Howard groaned “I can’t believe you still eat that stuff, it tastes like sawdust! There’s some in the top cupboard. What would you like for breakfast Jenny, there’s muesli…” Howard pulled a face and grinned “or you can have real food. Toast, or cereal, or I can do bacon and eggs if you like”  
“Toast would be great, thanks” Jenny smiled. Jason was pouring the unappetising looking muesli into a bowl, and to her amusement he then took it to the sink and ran water into the bowl.  
“Urgh….YUCK! Jason, I honestly thought it was just one of those Take That myths that you had water on your meusli!” Jenny laughed. He grinned sheepishly at her. It was so good to see her laughing, even if it was at his expense.  
“I’m afraid the rumours are true” He did his best Gary impression “Jason Orange does put water on his muesli” and Jenny laughed even harder.  
Breakfast continued in a similar vein. The two men clowning around, making her laugh and helping her forget the trauma of the previous day. While Jason ate he held a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel against his face.  
When they had finished eating, and had all pitched in tidying up in the kitchen, they prepared to leave for London. As they carried Jenny’s bags downstairs, Howard said what he and Jenny were both thinking.  
“Maybe you should leave your car here and all come in mine today Jay” he said, knowing before the words left his mouth that it wouldn’t go down well. “You can’t possibly see out of that eye, and that’s not good news for a long drive” He continued. “We can come back down and pick your car up later in the week when the swellings gone down”  
“Don’t be daft” Jason immediately went on the defensive, his stubborn streak making an appearance “I’m fine…..”  
“I think Howard’s right” Jenny chipped in “it’s a long way to drive when you can’t see properly. Let’s go with Howard. Please Jason…”  
Jason’s first inclination was to protest further. He really didn’t want to admit defeat, and he particularly didn’t want to leave his beloved car there for the week. But in reality, he knew they were right, he was finding it difficult to judge perspective with one eye, which wasn’t good news for driving. He shrugged, sighing.  
“OK, you win. Looks like I’m outnumbered” He conceded. “Which car are you going to take Howie, we won’t all get in the Audi?”  
“You haven’t seen my new baby yet have you” Howard grinned like a child “She’s in the garage come and see”  
They followed Howard out into the cold morning, the last of the snow had melted in the overnight rain and now clouds scudded across the sky, the sun occasionally managing to break through. They all made their way to the triple garage at the side of the house and Howard produced a bunch of keys from his pocket and pressed a button on the keyring. The electric doors hummed open revealing his black Audi R8 and also a vintage Ford Mustang, also black, shiny and in mint condition.  
“Isn’t she beautiful” Howard sighed, almost like a proud father “Come on, let’s get loaded up.”  
It didn’t take long to load Howards small holdall and Jenny’s bags into to boot and climb into the car. She climbed into the back seat and Jason scrambled in beside her. There wasn’t a lot of leg room and he rolled his eyes and grinned at her as he folded his long legs into the small gap behind the front passenger seat. Sliding an arm around her shoulders he gently pulled her towards him, she rested her head on his shoulder and he kissed the top of her head.  
Howard sat in the driver’s seat and glanced behind him before he pulled out of the garage.  
“I’d say come and sit in the front Jay, but I can see you’re enjoying yourself back there” He teased. Turning the key in the ignition, the enormous engine growled into life and Howard, loving his new toy, steered it carefully out of the gravel drive and onto the lane.  
Chapter 22  
The journey to Gary’s was uneventful. Jenny and Jason sat cuddling in the back seat whilst Howard drove the big powerful Mustang up the M3 to London. Stopping for fuel at a service station an hour into the journey he turned and smiled at the two of them asleep on the back with their heads resting on each other. When he returned to the car, carrying a bag containing diet coke, mineral water and a selection of snacks they were awake.  
“Just as well I did drive or you two would have ended up in a ditch somewhere” He commented as the climbed behind the wheel. “You’ve both been asleep for the last half hour”  
“Sorry Howie” Jason replied sleepily “Not been much company have we?”  
“That’s ok, reckon you both needed it. Anyway, you’ll need plenty of energy to deal with Mark and Gary today. They’re going to want to mother you both all day!” Howard laughed, knowing how much Jason would hate them fussing around him. He passed them drinks which they accepted and offered crisps and chocolate which they declined.  
Jenny was worried about meeting the others. For goodness sake, she’d spent years obsessing over them and now she was driving to Gary Barlow’s house, in the back of Howard Donald’s car and Jason Orange currently had his arm around her and was kissing her neck! It was all just too surreal! She couldn’t help thinking that Gary and Mark would hate her for getting Jason mixed up in her problems. She wouldn’t blame them either. She felt so guilty every time she looked at his black eye, if it wasn’t for her he’d never have got hurt.  
“Are you sure Gary won’t mind me being there today?” She asked as they continued up the motorway “I could always just go and do some window shopping or something”  
“Don’t be daft” Jason replied “He’ll be fine with it… and anyway, you don’t really want to spend all day walking around the shops do you? I bet you’ve still got the mother of all headaches”  
He was right of course. The painkillers she had taken at breakfast were wearing off and now she felt as though someone was trying to break out of the back of her head with a pick axe. But she was determined not to come across as some pathetic little woman when she met the others. She still worried about their reaction to her, despite Jason’s reassurance that they would be fine, and Howard’s continued jokes about how they’d just spend the day fussing around them.

Chapter 23  
As they drew up outside the gates of Gary’s home Jason squeezed her hand.  
“It’ll be fine, trust me” He whispered, kissing her on the cheek.  
Howard rolled down his window and punched a code into the keypad beside the high iron gates, which immediately swung open to allow them access to the long gravel driveway. The big black car crunched to a halt outside the front door and Howard jumped from the driver’s seat. Pulling the seat forward he offered a hand to Jenny to help her out of the cramped back seat, accepting it gratefully she allowed him to help her out of the car. Jason clambered out behind her, swearing at the lack of leg room and stretching as stood beside her.  
Before they even reached the front door, it swung open and Gary stood smiling at them. Predictably his grin faded as soon as he saw Jason.  
“Shit Jay, I thought Mark was being over dramatic when he told me you’d been in a fight! Bet that hurts!” He hugged Jason warmly then turned to Jenny, smiling again.  
“You must be Jenny, how are you feeling? Mark said you’d had a bang on the head yesterday too. Sounds like it was a pretty tough day for both of you”  
“I’m ok thanks” Jenny returned his smile “Bit of a headache, but I’ll be fine”  
“Hey Gaz. It’s bloody freezing out here, can we get inside and get a coffee” Howard slapped his friend on the back and headed towards the house, leaving the others following in his wake. Jenny was grateful for his down to earth approach to the situation.  
Ten minutes later, as they sat drinking coffee, Gary and Mark wanted to hear the whole story of how Jenny and Jason had ended up in such a mess. Jenny’s fears that they would blame her proved totally unfounded. They were horrified to hear about David’s violent behaviour, and were nothing but supportive and caring towards her. As they described the traumatic confrontation, Jenny felt herself becoming more and more emotional, and she struggled to hold back the tears. It was Howard, sitting opposite her, that noticed the distress etched on her face and gave her a small supportive smile before changing the subject.  
“Right then” He interrupted “Are we going to sit here all day or do you guys want to write a song?”  
To her relief, the conversation quickly moved on the song they had been working on. For the rest of the afternoon she sat, fascinated, as the four lads bounced ideas for lyrics, melodies and backing vocals around.  
By 6pm they had pretty much got it sorted, and happy with the afternoon’s work, their thoughts turned to food. Gary offered to buy in a take away, Howard and Mark immediately agreed but Jason glanced at Jenny and announced that they’d better make a move, making the excuse that they were both tired. They called a taxi to take them back to Jason’s apartment and then grabbed Jenny’s bags of belongings from the boot of Howard’s car. 

Chapter 24  
When the taxi arrived they said their goodbyes, exchanging hugs with Gary, Mark and Howard, before climbing into the black cab. Traffic in London was predictably dreadful and the journey back to Jason’s place took twice as long as it should have done. As they sat in the back of the cab Jason slipped an arm around Jenny, pulling her to him and kissing the top of her head, then grinning he began running his other hand slowly up her thigh. She turned to look at him and as she did he kissed her, with an intensity that took her breath away, his tongue probed her mouth and she responded with equal passion, her hands running through his hair as their tongues entwined.  
Their embrace was interrupted by the taxi driver, coughing loudly as he pulled to halt outside Jason’s apartment building. Their mouths parted and they grinned at each other before climbing from the cab. Jason settled up with the driver and between them they retrieved Jenny’s bags from the back and headed into the warmth of the building.  
They were hardly inside the door of the apartment before Jason was kissing her again, he grasped the bottom of her sweater pulling it off over her head, before scooping her into his arms and carrying her to the bedroom.  
“I’ve been wanting to do this all day” He said, lying her on the king size bed before pulling off his sweater and unbuttoning the jeans that hung from his slim hips. Jenny reached up and touched the skin of his firm toned abdomen, slowly tracing a line from his naval to the top of his jeans, following the enticing happy trail. He allowed the jeans to fall to the floor, kicking them off before joining her on the bed.  
“You seem to be a little overdressed” He murmured, kissing her neck and nibbling at her ear, as his hands gently moved over her body, first unfastening her bra, before moving south. He unbuttoned her jeans, sliding down the zipper and slipping his hand inside, caressing her backside. Jenny wriggled herself out of the tight jeans and kicked them away from her feet. They kissed hungrily, their hands continuing to explore each other’s bodies. Jenny felt his erection pressing against her thigh, hooking her thumb under the waistband of his boxers she pulled them down, releasing him from the soft material. He pulled at the lacy fabric of her knickers, sliding them down over her hips, before moving his hand between her thighs. His kisses moved down from her neck to her breasts, his tongue curling around her nipple, sending waves of intense pleasure rippling through her body. Her hands curled through his hair and her back arched, thrusting her hips against him. As she became ever more aroused he rolled onto her, their lips met and tongues entwined once more.  
Then he was there, inside her, the feeling was intense almost beyond endurance. Moaning his name, she wrapped her legs around his hips, moving with him as the rhythm of their lovemaking quickened. Her nails dug into the flesh of his back as he thrust ever deeper into her, until finally her body succumbed to the exquisite arousal and she flung back her head crying out his name. Almost simultaneously he emptied himself into her, kissing her again before rolling away, totally spent, panting beside her.  
“Oh, God Jason! What are you doing to me?!” Jenny breathed, as he swung his long legs off the bed and walked naked across the bedroom to the ensuite. She couldn’t take her eyes off his body.  
Turning at the bathroom door he grinned, “I’m going to take a shower, want to join me?”  
She didn’t need a second invitation and within moments they were standing together under the cascading water of the shower, they kissed as they washed each other’s bodies, enjoying the intimacy and closeness. When they were finished and had dried themselves, they pulled on comfortable, casual clothes and headed to the kitchen.  
“Don’t know about you but I’ve worked up an appetite” Jason smiled “What would you like to eat, shall I cook something or call for a take away?”  
For the first time in days Jenny felt really hungry, but she didn’t fancy more take away food.  
“Let’s cook” She replied “What have you got in the fridge?”  
They worked together, slicing vegetables and creating a spicy stir fry, which Jason served with rice and with chilled white wine from the fridge.  
As they ate conversation turned to the future, Jenny had managed to take a week off sick from work. But she knew she needed to find somewhere to live, and to re-establish herself back in her home town. The thought of starting over was scary and almost overwhelming. She knew it was going to be tough to find somewhere she could afford and that David was not going to make things easy for her financially. She didn’t want to discuss money with Jason, afraid he would think she expected him to support her in some way. All she really wanted was to stay there, with him, enjoying his gentleness, his beauty and of course the incredible sex, but that wasn’t possible, she had a real life to think about too.  
Later, as they sat curled up on the leather sofa in Jason’s living room with music playing softly in the background, he pulled her close once more. He could see that she was tense and anxious about the future, and he could understand that, but he wanted her to believe that he would take care of her, whatever happened. In the short time they had been together they had been through so much, and he felt he knew her better than any of the girls he’d been with in the last few years. The other lads joked sometimes, about his short term relationships, and how he seemed to fall in and out of love, but in truth he had only really been in love with one other girl, way back before all the craziness began.

 

Chapter 25  
Jason had been besotted from the moment he set eyes on Stephanie… she was older than him, about 25 he’d guessed, but she kept smiling at him, giving him the come on. Maybe it was partly that he felt flattered, having a sexy older woman making moves on him, but whatever it was, he knew he wanted her! She was beautiful, sexy and she wanted him too.  
Looking back, he realised that the relationship had never been entirely healthy. She had been incredibly jealous when other girls took an interest in him. He recalled one night after filming for Hitman when a couple of young fans had come to ask for autographs, he had posed with them for photos and given them each a kiss on the cheek. Stephanie had sat seething at the bar, glaring at him and at the two youngsters. When they’d got outside she had screamed at him, ranting and lashing out, scratching his face with her long nails. But just as quickly as she had exploded with anger, she was all over him again, telling him she loved him. This happened often, but he told himself he might feel the same if other men kept making moves on her. A couple of his mates told him he should ditch her, that she was too clingy, too possessive, but how could he? She made him feel like nobody else could, even when she had one of her rages, even when she lashed out at him. He still wanted her. She was the first thing he thought of in the morning and the last thing he thought of at night.  
They stayed together for over a year. Even when the band got together and Nigel, their manager gave them a lecture about no steady girlfriends, he still couldn’t let her go. It wasn’t until several months later, when Nigel found out about her and went totally ballistic that Jason knew he had to make a choice. Nigel made it abundantly clear that Jason was expendable, and that if he didn’t tow the line he’d be out of the band. He almost chose her, wanted to choose her. It was only the other lads, and especially Howard, who knew Stephanie from The Apollo, that persuaded him to put his career first. Howard had always thought she was bad news, he never really understood why Jason stayed with her, she was so moody and controlling. He had told Jason that he was too young to let this woman hold him back and tie him down and eventually after days of soul searching, Jason chose Take That.  
Telling her had been one of the worst days of his life, partly because he still didn’t really want to let her go, and partly because of her reaction. He chose one of the rare moments when he had the family home to himself, inviting her over and then sitting waiting for her to arrive, like a condemned man waiting for his execution. He rehearsed over and over what he was going to say to her, how he was going to explain, nothing sounded right, nothing really expressed what he wanted to say. When she got there he stumbled through the speech he’d prepared, trying to explain that he had no choice but to end it.  
He had expected tears, he’d expected her to plead with him to change his mind. He was gutted to have to end the relationship and he had expected her to feel the same. But there were no tears, she didn’t even seem sad. There was only anger. He knew she had a temper, but he’d never seen her so furious. She had screamed every obscenity he’d ever heard, and a few that were new to him! She had thrown the coffee cup she was holding at him with such force that if he hadn’t ducked he might not have lived to tell the tale.  
“You’ll fucking regret this you bastard” she had screamed “You can’t finish with me. Who else is going to keep those stupid little bitches away from you? You fucking NEED me! ”  
She had stormed out of the house, slamming the door, leaving Jason shell shocked. He had wept as he cleared up the broken coffee cup and tried in vain to scrub the coffee stain off of the wall. Then he went to his room, closed the door, turned up his stereo and lost himself in his music.  
For the next few years he towed the line just like the other lads, no steady girlfriends, just a lot of meaningless one night stands with a string of girls he never saw again. He did see Stephanie occasionally over the years. Once she was at a gig, standing there, right at the front. Girls around her were going crazy, screaming and throwing their knickers on the stage, and she had just stood staring at him for the whole show, it had given him the creeps. Years later, just before the come -back, he saw her again, sitting in a shop doorway in the centre of Manchester. He had hardly recognised her, she had looked spaced out, skinny and hollow eyed. She had been a casual drug user back in the 90’s, just cannabis back then, and he guessed she had moved on to hard drugs, she had the look of an addict. He had felt really bad about it for a while, wondering things might have been different if they’d stayed together. He still thought about her sometimes, wondering if she was ok, if she had got herself clean, or if she was still on the streets or even dead.  
He knew now, when he thought rationally about it, that Stephanie hadn’t loved him and had probably had psychological issues, even before the drug abuse had started. But he still somehow descended into a guilt trip as he thought about her - what if he’d stayed with her? Maybe she wouldn’t have ended up on the streets. But then again, maybe he’d have ended up there with her.

Chapter 26  
“Hey….Jason, penny for your thoughts” Jenny nudged him gently “You were miles away then”  
“Sorry, I was just thinking about someone I used to know.” He kissed her on the forehead and stood up “Coffee?” He asked, heading towards the kitchen.  
Jenny followed him, standing behind him at the worktop, she slid her arms around him and slipped her hands up inside his black t-shirt, her fingers skimming over his erect nipples . She had to stand on tiptoes to kiss the back of his neck.  
“Are you sure you’re ok” she asked, kissing him again. Her hands moving to his back, sliding up to his shoulders “God, Jason you’re so tense, what’s wrong?” She began to massage his shoulders, and as she did she felt Jason’s muscles flex under her hands.  
“I’m fine babe, honestly” He took a deep breath and exhaled, forcing himself to relax. “But that feels great”  
“I’ll tell you what, let’s forget the coffee” Jenny whispered into his ear “I think I owe you a massage”  
Jason turned, kissing her softly “That sounds like an excellent plan.” He smiled, taking her hand and leading her into the bedroom. Peeling off his t shirt and sweat pants he lay down on the bed, with his head resting on his hands.  
“Do you have any oil” Jenny asked. She could hardly take her eyes off of his body, slim, toned and utterly beautiful.  
Following his direction to the corner of the bathroom cabinet, Jenny found the oil. Climbing onto the bed and straddling Jason’s hips, she poured it onto her hands.  
Jason sighed as she began to move her hands across his shoulders, soothing away the tension in his muscles. Down his spine and outwards over his ribs, she massaged the musky scented oil into his skin. It felt great and he found himself relaxing under her touch. God, she was good at this! He lost track of time as her hands moved slowly down to the small of his back and back up to his neck and shoulders.  
“There” Jenny said softly as she finished “Is that better?” She climbed off of him and he rolled onto his side. Propping himself on one elbow, he smiled, reaching up he grabbed her hand, pulling her down onto the bed beside him.  
“Very nice” He grinned “For starters at least. Now, how about the main course?”

*****  
Meanwhile, in a cold damp squat, on a run down council estate, Stephanie took a gulp of methadone from the bottle that sat next to her on the floor. She began slowly dismantling the collection of old newspapers that she had accumulated over the past few days, laying them on the concrete to protect herself from the cold that otherwise crept into her bones as she slept. Suddenly she stopped what she was doing, snatching up a dog eared page from a Sunday tabloid. She stared at it in fury before screwing it in her fist and flinging it across the room.  
“Bastard!” she hissed “Fucking bastard!”

 

Chapter 27  
When Jenny woke next morning she found herself alone in the bed, glancing at the clock on the bedside cabinet she saw it was only 6.30am. Climbing out of bed, she picked up Jason’s robe and slipped it on, savouring his scent on the soft towelling fabric. She padded out of the bedroom. Music was playing quietly in the living room, she didn’t recognise the melody but it was beautiful, slow and soothing. As she stood in the doorway she saw Jason, dressed only in sweat pants. He was deep in concentration, facing away from the door, slowing working through a series of yoga positions. He didn’t notice her standing in the doorway, she marvelled at his grace and suppleness as he moved effortlessly from one pose to the next. She could have watched him all day as his body flexed and stretched into a succession of impossible looking positions. Not wanting to disturb him, she slipped quietly back to the bedroom. Still wrapped in his robe, she settled back into bed and drifted back into a contented sleep.  
When she woke again, Jason was sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. As she stirred he gently stroked a strand of hair away from her face.  
“Good morning beautiful” He said, kissing her on the forehead.  
“Morning” Jenny yawned sleepily “What time is it?”  
“Half nine, would you like some breakfast?”  
“Mmm, thanks” She grinned, pulling herself into a sitting position on the bed and kissing him on the lips, running her fingers through his hair.  
“Your eye looks better this morning” She added, gently touching his bruised cheekbone.  
“All the better to see you with” He smiled “Now, are you getting out of that bed lazybones? I need to be at Gary’s at eleven today, Howard’s picking us up at 10.30.”  
“Are you sure you want me there today? I feel fine now, and I really need to start looking for somewhere to live, so I can get back to work next week. Shall I just stay here and have a look online?”  
“Of course I want you there! And you don’t want to be stuck here on your own all day do you? Come with me and you can still spend some time house hunting if that’s what you really want to do. Although you know you can stay here as long as you want”  
“Jason, you know I can’t just stay here. I have a job to go back to, I feel guilty enough hiding away here now when I should be working” Much as Jenny wanted nothing more than to stay with Jason, she knew she couldn’t live in this bubble forever. Sooner or later she had to go back to her real life. Although she prayed that putting distance between them again wouldn’t spoil the relationship that they were building. It was all just too perfect at the moment. Just a few weeks ago she was dreaming of just a brief glimpse of this amazing man, and now here she was, living in his flat and sharing his bed, it still didn’t feel quite real when she stopped to think about it.  
“OK babe” Jason stroked her hair as he spoke “but please come to Gary’s. If you find somewhere nice online maybe we can go and have a look at it tomorrow, we’re taking a day off and I was going to get Howard to take us down to pick my car up”  
Jason gave her a final kiss, before heading to the kitchen to get breakfast, while Jenny showered and dressed. When she joined him he was tucking into a bowl of muesli, there was hot toast waiting for her and a cup of coffee. 

Chapter 28  
While the boys worked on more new material, Jenny sat on Gary’s spare laptop, becoming more and more depressed as she hunted for somewhere to live. She had set herself a budget, and all she could find under her limit were a few one bedroom flats in high rise blocks on the local council estate.  
By the time Jason took a break and came to see how she was doing, she had convinced herself that maybe high rise living wouldn’t be so bad, and had narrowed her choices down to three flats.  
“You’re not seriously thinking about that are you?” He sounded horrified as he looked over her shoulder at the pictures of what she thought was the best of the three.  
“It’s not that bad.” Jenny said defensively “At least it’s clean and reasonably nice inside. I just can’t afford anywhere nearer to where I work.”  
“Let me have a look” Jason sat down next to her and she reluctantly handed the laptop over.  
“I don’t know why you think you’ll have any more luck than me”  
“I’m going to have a look at holiday properties” He explained. “It’s the middle of winter and they’ll all be sitting empty. I bet we could find someone who’d give you a good price for a long term let until the summer season. At least that’ll give you some time to have a look around for something else”  
She had to admit that it was a good idea, although she still doubted there would be anything inside her budget. She worked in a pretty town near the coast and property there was notoriously expensive.  
“How about this one” He turned the screen to show her a picture of a terraced cottage that she recognised as being right by the water, only a few minute’s walk from where she worked. He scrolled through some internal photos and it looked gorgeous.  
“It’s lovely Jay, but how much is it?”  
“Do you like it?” He asked “Shall I call and see if we can go and look at it tomorrow?”  
He was avoiding the question and Jenny started to feel irritated. Did he really not remember what it was like to have to think about how much things cost? Was he that far removed from reality?  
“Jason, I am not going to torture myself looking at places I can‘t afford, what’s the point. I’ll go and look at that flat tomorrow if we are going down for your car.”  
“You are so stubborn sometimes!” He sighed in exasperation. “I want to be able to come and visit you Jenny . It’ll be my weekend getaway. I like the cottage, it’s really nice and it’s in a great position. At least let me see if I can negotiate a good deal for you. I bet if you offer to take it for a couple of months they’ll bite your hand off. It’s not earning them anything empty is it?”  
Eventually, Jenny agreed to let him make the call, but insisted that they look at the flat too, and that she would only look at the cottage if the price was right. Still grumbling about her stubborn streak he called the number listed on the website, leaving a message on an answerphone.

Chapter 29  
By the end of the day the boys had the beginnings of another song prepared, and Jenny had arranged to view two of the flats she had found. Jason was still determined that she look at the cottage, and had managed to arrange a viewing for that too, despite her continued protests over the cost.  
Howard dropped them back at Jason’s and arranged to pick them up the next morning to go down to his country home. As they entered the building Jason collected a handful of mail from the box in the hallway, throwing it down on the coffee table when they got to the apartment.  
Then he grabbed Jenny around the waist, effortlessly picking her up and swinging her around before planting a kiss on her mouth.  
“Mmm, I’ve been wanting to do that all day” He grinned. “How about dinner and an early night?” He winked mischievously, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her again.  
“You have a one track mind” Jenny scolded with a giggle as their lips parted. Although, if she was honest, at that moment she would happily have forgotten all about dinner and moved straight on to the early night. How could one little kiss do that to her?  
They prepared dinner together, kissing and touching as they moved around the kitchen. Then they sat, snuggled together, on the sofa, as they ate the pasta and sauce with melted mozzarella cheese. Putting his empty plate on the coffee table, Jason wrapped his arm around Jenny, pulling her onto his lap and running his hand through her hair. He had beautiful hands Jenny thought, just that simple touch sent a ripple of excitement through her body. She put her plate down and turned to kiss him, their lips meeting as she wrapped her arms around him.  
“Ready for afters?” Jason smiled, standing and leading her to the bedroom.  
Kicking the door shut behind them, he grabbed the bottom of her sweater and pulled it over her head, before peeling his own shirt off over his head.  
“Easy tiger” Jenny laughed, but she didn’t waste any time in kicking off her jeans, watching with rising excitement as he did the same. Within seconds they were lying together on the bed, their bodies entwining as they kissed passionately. He unfastened her bra, pulling it off and kissing her exposed breasts, licking and biting at her nipples as she moaned with pleasure, her hands twisting through his hair. Climbing astride her, his kisses moved from one breast to the other, and then down to her belly, and lower, until he reached her lace knickers. Hooking his fingers into the top he pulled them down, and Jenny kicked them away as his kisses moved to her thighs. She felt him moving closer, kissing the soft flesh of her inner thighs his stubble softly scratching her skin, her back arched in pleasure as his tongue flicked across her most intimate place.  
“Oh God, Jason!” She moaned. She felt herself climbing higher and higher, her breathing ragged now. His hands caressed her buttocks as he continued to tease her. The sensation was so intense, like nothing she had experienced before. Finally she was totally overcome by the most explosive orgasm, wave upon wave of ecstasy ripping through her body until she was left gasping.  
Finally as she lay panting , his kisses moved back up her body, to her belly, then her breasts then her neck, until finally their mouths met again. She could feel him hard against her thigh now, and as she wrapped her legs around his hips she felt him thrust deep inside her, his mouth moving to her neck once again, he nibbled at the soft skin, moaning her name as their bodies moved in unison. Jenny felt herself climbing again, building towards another climax. Her nails dug into his back, and she cried out his name, as he too found his release, emptying himself and collapsing onto her.  
As they lay in each other’s arms, exhausted by their lovemaking, Jenny rested her head on his chest, listening to his breathing. As she drifted off to sleep she found herself wishing she could just stay there in his arms forever, the thought of leaving and returning to her “normal” life was depressing, and this was just too perfect…..he was just too perfect. 

Chapter 30  
Jason woke first next morning. Quietly he climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweat pants before heading to the living room to do his morning yoga workout. He sighed when he found their plates still on the coffee table, picking them up he realised the previous day’s post was also still unopened on the table. He collected the pile of mail in his other hand and took it, with the plates into the kitchen. Putting the plates into the dishwasher he leaned against the worktop and flicked through the pile of letters, junk, bank statement, a letter from the taxman. He was almost at the bottom of the pile when his blood suddenly ran cold. Amongst all the usual rubbish was a familiar looking pink envelope, the address was typewritten, not word processed but typed on an old fashioned typewriter. Please no, he thought, not again! There was no stamp on the envelope, it must have been delivered by hand. How the hell had they managed to get it into the building!? Part of him wanted to throw it away unopened, but somehow he just couldn’t. Taking a deep breath he tore open the envelope, inside was a single sheet of note paper. The message was short and to the point.  
*SAME SHIT, DIFFERENT BITCH*  
There was no actual threat, nothing the police would be interested in – he knew that from bitter past experience. But still, there was an underlying menace in those few words, and even if the police didn’t take it seriously, he did. What the fuck was he going to do?  
He was so deep in thought, staring at the note that he didn’t notice Jenny until her fingers brushes against the naked flesh of his shoulder.  
“What on earth’s the matter Jay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” She stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek before glancing down at the paper in his hand. He tried to move it away, to stop her seeing it, but he wasn’t quick enough.  
“What’s that?” She asked, she only caught a glipse of the pink paper before he moved it away.  
“It’s nothing” Jason tried to sound casual “Just some nutty fan getting carried away, that’s all” He didn’t want her to worry about it, she’d been through enough trauma in the last week to last a lifetime. Forcing a smile, he kissed her, hoping to distract her from the note. “I’m going to do some yoga, do you want to join me?”  
“I’ve never done it before, I’ll be rubbish at it. You go ahead” Jenny didn’t want to make a total fool of herself, and she’d seen for herself how good he was.  
“Come on, just give it a try, I’ll help you” he grabbed her hand and dragged her to the living room, hitting the play button on the ipod dock as he went. The same haunting melody that she had heard when she had watched him the previous morning began to play.  
“OK, let’s start with some breathing” Jason sat, legs crossed and straight backed on the floor. Reluctantly Jenny did her best to get herself into the same position. Her legs wouldn’t go where she wanted and even sitting straight was harder than it looked. Jason told her to close her eyes and then began to talk her through some deep breathing techniques, his voice was like honey, soft and soothing as she concentrated on how she inhaled and exhaled.  
After a while, when she was really relaxed, he started to teach her a few simple poses, in a sequence. When he showed her it looked so easy and effortless, when she tried herself she found it anything but. She stifled a giggle as she wobbled hopelessly between one pose and the next, even Jason had to see the funny side, catching her as she lost her balance.  
“Like this” He instructed, trying not laugh. His hands gently moved her body into the correct position, or at least as close as she could manage. He continued to help her work through the sequence until she began to understand how to maintain her balance and to hold each pose before moving to the next.  
Finally the assumed a position which Jason called Savasana, they lay side by side, completely still. He spoke softly, helping her to concentrate on each part of her body, ensuring every muscle was completely relaxed. Breathing deeply as the music continued to play quietly, Jenny had never felt so tranquil.  
Jason also felt the tension leaving his body as he breathed in and out, allowing himself to relax totally. For a while, at least, all thoughts of the pink envelope and it’s poisonous contents were pushed from his mind. This was why he loved yoga.  
Later, as they stood naked together in the shower, Jenny asked again about the letter. She knew there was something he wasn’t telling her, and she knew he had been shaken by whatever it had said, his face when she had walked into the kitchen had told her that much. But he insisted it was nothing for her to worry about, and that it was just a fan letter. He explained his earlier anxiety away, telling her it was simply that he didn’t like it when fan letters came to his home address. She still wasn’t convinced he was telling her the whole story, but as he began massaging sweet smelling shower gel onto her body the letter was forgotten as she gave in to his touch.

Chapter 31  
Jason was quiet on the journey back to Howard’s country retreat. Jenny didn’t ask about the letter again, but she was pretty sure that was what was bothering him. They sat in the cramped back seat of the Mustang as it roared south along the motorway. She wore a short skirt today, and his hand rested on her thigh, stroking her soft skin, and occasionally he leaned across and kissed her face, but he hardly spoke, and when she glanced at him he seemed deep in thought, he had a distant look in his eyes.  
“Are you OK?” She asked quietly, touching his face and planting a kiss on his stubbly jaw. “You’re miles away this morning”  
“Sorry babe, I’m fine” Jason smiled, but somehow it didn’t reach his eyes. “Just thinking about finding you somewhere decent to live today” He hated lying to her, but how could he tell her the truth? She had so much else to think about without this. He had already decided that when he had a minute alone with Howard he’d speak to him about the letter. He trusted his friend’s common sense approach to life, and knew he’d help him think through his options without turning everything into a huge drama.  
“How many of those flats are you looking at” He asked, hoping Jenny would accept his excuse for his lack of conversation. He really was also concerned about where she was going to live. The thought of her living in some awful high rise block was just too depressing. It wasn’t that he was a snob, far from it, he’d grown up on a council estate after all, but he just wanted better for her.  
“Only two” Jenny answered “The other one looked pretty dated inside and the block was right on the far side of the estate so it would have taken too long to commute to work” She knew how he felt about the whole flat thing, and that he really wanted her to get the cottage he had found. She would like nothing better than to live in a pretty little cottage close to her work, but financially she just couldn’t make the maths work, if she lived there she would just be working to pay the rent, there would be nothing left for anything else.

Chapter 32  
They arrived at Howard’s house just after 11am, and he insisted they come in for coffee before continuing on to their house hunting. Jason was glad to have the chance to chat with him, all they needed was a few minutes alone. As they sat at the kitchen table with steaming mugs in front of them, Jason made the excuse that he needed Howard to help him with a problem on his car, and told Jenny to stay in the warm while they went to take a look. Jenny was happy to sit in the warmth of the kitchen rather than standing around in the cold outside while the two men played amateur mechanic. Howard looked slightly confused as they picked up their coffee mugs and left her sitting at the table. When they were outside he turned to Jason.  
“OK, she can’t hear us now. Are you going to tell me what’s going on, cos you’ve been acting really strange this morning. It’s like your mind is somewhere else. And don’t tell me it’s anything to do with Jenny and her house hunting cos I’m not buying that.”  
Jason leaned against the wall of the garage and taking a deep breath he pulled the note from his pocket and passed it to Howard. For a moment Howard just looked at it, then sighing he put a hand on Jason’s shoulder.  
“Jay mate, you can’t let this get to you. It’s probably some delusional fifteen year old who wants you for a sugar daddy. Tear it up and forget it.” Howard was surprised that Jason had let one little note get to him so much. They had all had similar mail over the years, it went with the territory.  
“Howie, it’s not a one off, and if it is a fifteen year old she started writing these when she was about ten”  
It took a moment for Howard to take in what Jason was saying.  
“You mean you’ve been getting stuff like this for the last 5 years!? Why haven’t you said anything before?” He knew the answer before Jason even opened his mouth to reply.  
“I didn’t want to bother you guys with it. I reported the first few to the police, but they weren’t interested.” Jason sighed “They always start like this, just vague stuff, as soon as there’s anything with me and a woman in the press. Then it gets more personal, you know, things nobody would know unless they were watching me. Remember Laura? Her car got keyed outside my place and next day I got a note saying that it’d be the brakes next time.”  
“Holy shit Jay!” Howard began to understand why his friend never seemed to stay with anyone for long, it would be enough to put pressure on the best relationship. “Have you told Jenny? In fact did you ever tell any of the others?”  
“No and no. I’ve always just sort of moved on before. Let’s face it none of the others were ever going to be long term. But Jenny’s different, she’s given up everything to be with me, and she’s so….I don’t know, just so different.”  
“So, what are you going to do?” Howard asked “Are you just walk away like before and let this psycho win again?”  
And there it was. Howard’s down to earth assessment of the situation. Jason knew he was right. He couldn’t let this person, whoever it was, ruin things for him and Jenny. But could he put her at risk? What right did he have to take a chance with her safety? He realised that he had to tell her, to let her make up her own mind whether to stay or to leave.

 

Chapter 33  
“All sorted?” Jenny smiled as they re-entered the kitchen.  
“Yes, Howard’s sorted it for me” Jason put a hand on her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek “If you’ve finished that coffee we should probably get going.” He’d talk to her in the car he decided, when they would have no interruptions.  
They said their goodbyes to Howard, who hugged them both and gave Jason an encouraging smile as he climbed into the gold Mercedes. Jenny climbed into the passenger seat, and they were soon on their way back to Jenny’s home town. As they pulled onto the lane Jason took a deep breath.  
“Jenny, I need to talk to you” He began  
“If it’s about that cottage I’ve said I’ll look at it Jason, it’s no good keeping on about it!”  
“No, no it’s not that…..It’s that letter from this morning. I think you need to see it” There, he’d said it. Deciding that he couldn’t just keep driving he pulled into a layby on the country lane before handing her the note. Jenny stared at it in silence for a few seconds.  
“This is just someone’s idea of a sick joke, right?” But she knew from the expression on his face that Jason was taking it deadly seriously. He began explaining about the other notes, and that he wanted her to know about it so she could walk away if she wanted to, and that he would understand if that was what she wanted. His voice was quiet, and serious and as he offered her the choice to leave Jenny saw the emotional turmoil etched on his face.  
Jenny answered him with a kiss, her hand caressed his face and her fingers ran through his hair. The thought of potential danger from some deranged fan was worrying, but the idea of not being with Jason was unthinkable.  
“Jason, you’re not going to get rid of me that easily you know” She said, as their lips parted and she sat back into leather passenger seat. “Now, you’d better start driving because we’re starting to steam your windows up”  
He smiled at her. Reaching across, he cradled her face in his hand, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Leaned further he planted a gentle kiss on her cheek.  
“You’re amazing, do you realise that” He said quietly “I was so scared you’d decide to leave me”  
“I’m not going anywhere, I promise” She put her hand over his, moving it to her lips and kissing his fingers one by one “I love you Jason Orange.” 

 

Chapter 34  
It was 12.45 when they reached the car park of the first of Jenny’s potential new homes. The agent was due to meet them there at 1pm, but Jason’s first instinct was to turn around and drive away again. A group of teenagers stood around the entrance of the building, smoking and passing around a large bottle of cider, and the car park seemed to be being used as some sort of scrap yard, with several cars in various stages of being dismantled. As they pulled into one of the few empty parking spaces he turned to Jenny.  
“Are you sure you want to look at this place babe?” He didn’t even like the idea of leaving his car unattended there, let alone think about Jenny having to walk around the area after dark. “There’s obviously a reason why the rent’s so cheap”  
Sighing Jenny had to admit to herself that this wasn’t exactly what she’d hoped to find, but there was no way she was going to admit it to Jason. And anyway, if this was all her budget would allow she was going to have to get used to it.  
“It’s not so bad” She said, trying to sound positive “I bet it’ll be nice enough inside”  
Jason was about to argue when a Ford Focus with the estate agents logo on the door pulled into the car park. Jenny jumped out of the car to greet the agent, and to avoid having to defend herself any further. It was cold and she wished she had worn trousers instead of the short skirt and boots that allowed the chilly breeze to whip around her bare legs. Sighing Jason followed, putting sunglasses on to cover the bruise on his face, which was now an unpleasant yellow colour. He carefully locked his beloved car and hoped it would still be in one piece when he got back to it.  
The agent greeted them with a handshake and a fake smile and began extoling the virtues of the property, before they even reached the door of the building. He explained the secure entry system and the use of the shared “garden”, which looked to Jason like a rough grass and concrete yard, with a few rotary clothes lines. Once inside, there was an overpowering smell of stale cigarette smoke, spilled alcohol and urine, and by now even Jenny realised that she really didn’t want to live here, but the agent just kept talking as he lead them to the lift. At least it was working, and it carried them smoothly to the fifth floor where they followed the corridor to flat 508. Opening the door with a flourish the agent showed them inside. The flat was, clean and tidy with a fairly modern kitchen and bathroom, but the furnishings were poor quality and looking more closely it was clear that everything had been done as cheaply as possible. Jason held Jenny’s hand and gave it a squeeze, when she looked up at him, he rolled his eyes and gestured with his head that they should leave. Admitting defeat she gave a sheepish smile and nodded. Interrupting the annoying estate agent, they said they would think about it and made their escape. Maybe the second flat would be better she thought hopefully.  
It wasn’t. The second block of flats was similar to the first, but the flat was on the top floor, the lift was broken and there were huge black mould stains on the bedroom ceiling where the damp seeped in. A different agent tried his hardest to put a positive spin on the place, but as they climbed back into Jason’s car Jenny could have cried. Both places were so depressing, she guessed of the two the first one was more promising, but it wasn’t exactly the sort of place she could expect Jason to come and spend his weekends. Leaning back into the leather upholstery she covered her face with her hands and sighed deeply. She felt Jason’s arm reaching around her, pulling her gently towards him until her head rested on his shoulder.  
“Hey, are you ok?” He asked quietly. Gently stroking her hair and kissing the top of her head.  
“I’m fine” She replied “Just pissed off that you were right!” She decided humour was the way forward, if she didn’t laugh she might just cry.  
“Surely you know by now that I’m ALWAYS right” He grinned “Now, we have an appointment with a very nice little cottage in about an hour, so what are we going to do to while away the time?”  
“Can we start by getting out of here” Jenny pleaded. He turned the key in the ignition and the old car roared into life. 

Chapter 35  
The cottage was in a quiet lane that led down to the sea, the contrast to the ugly, high rise blocks couldn’t have been any more obvious. It was getting dark when Jason parked the car in a layby near to where the lane met the beach, and there was nobody to be seen, except an old lady in the distance walking her dog.  
“We still have some time to kill” He smiled as he killed the engine “Any suggestions?”  
“Hmm” Jenny definitely had a suggestion, but she hesitated before she spoke, wondering how he would react. “How about you help me live out a little fantasy”  
“Mmmm, now what might that be?”  
“Well, you see, I used to have this dream about you and me - in this car” She felt slightly foolish even as she said it, realising she probably sounded like a typical fangirl. But Jason just flashed that incredible smile and reached down to the lever that allowed him to slide his seat back to its maximum distance from the steering wheel.  
“Well” He grinned, “we’d better see if we can make reality live up to your dreams hadn’t we?”  
A smile spread across Jenny’s face as she peeled of her jacket before climbing across the gearstick to sit astride his lap. She began slowly unbuttoning his soft, warm, coat, kissing him playfully on the lips as she undid each button in turn. Pulling it off his shoulders so that he could easily wriggle his arms free, she ran her hands through his hair, as their kisses became increasingly passionate. He grabbed the bottom of her sweater and hauled it off over her head, tossing it carelessly onto the back seat, before reaching behind her to unhook the fastening of her bra, allowing it to fall onto his lap. She was already working on the buttons of his shirt, undoing the last one she pulled the fabric aside to reveal his naked chest, nipples erect in the cool air.  
His kisses moved from her mouth to her neck and then down to her breasts , his hands massaging her back as he licked and nibbled at her nipples. It felt so good, and she arched her back against the steering wheel as his hands moved downwards. He tugged at her skirt, and she shifted her weight slightly to allow him to pull it up around her waist. She could feel him now, hard against her thigh as his hands fondled her bum, pulling her hips towards him. Her fingers fumbled with the button of his jeans, before sliding down the zip. Grabbing at the waistband she pulled them down, and he lifted his hips from the seat so that they slid down to his knees, his boxers soon followed, releasing his erection.  
“These are in the way” He murmured, sliding his fingers into the top of her knickers and ripping the lace fabric apart. Jenny gasped, had he really just done that? His fingers slid between her thighs now, stroking, teasing, caressing, still kissing and gently biting at her breasts, until waves of pleasure threatened to take her over the edge.  
“Oh Jason” She moaned, one hand pulled at his hair while the other pressed against to steamy glass of the car window. “Please, Jason… take me now!”  
He cupped his hands under her buttocks lifting her so that she could feel his throbbing erection between her thighs. Slowly he began to lower her onto himself entering her little by little, bringing her ever closer to the edge. His lips met hers again now and he moaned into her mouth as their tongues entwined. Holding her hips, pressing their bodies together, he thrust deeper into her. Until simultaneously they spiralled out of control, wave upon wave of pleasure ripping through them until they collapsed panting together.  
They stayed there, still locked together until their ragged breathing returned to normal. Jenny eased herself off of him, allowing him to slide free. She twisted herself back onto the passenger seat and pulling down her skirt. Jason pulled up his boxers and jeans before leaning across to kiss her.  
“How did that live up to your dream?” He asked as their lips parted.  
“A million times better” She replied “But I can’t believe you ripped my knickers off, you animal” She grinned and slapped him playfully on the shoulder.  
“Sorry about that” Jason grinned sheepishly “Got a bit carried away”  
Jenny giggled as she retrieved her bra, which had slipped off of his lap and was now draped over the hand brake. She slipped the skimpy lacy garment back on, before reaching into the back of the car to grab her sweater.  
“How am I meant to concentrate on looking at a house when I’m walking around commando style in a bloody mini skirt” She said reproachfully, as she dragged her fingers through her hair, pulling it into a ponytail. “How do I look?” she asked when she had finished putting her clothes on and tidying her hair.  
“Beautiful, as always” Jason kissed her “We’d better go an look at this house now, the owner will be here any minute”

Chapter 36  
They walked hand in hand up the lane to the front gate of the cottage, and as they approached a plump middle aged lady got out of a car nearby.  
“Good evening Mr Orange” She beamed “Welcome to Rosebank Cottage. Here are your keys, and I’ve left a welcome pack in the kitchen for you.”  
Jenny looked from the woman to Jason in confusion.  
“The place is all yours until the end of May” She continued, holding out a small bunch of keys.  
“Would you mind doing the honours Mrs Price?” Jason smiled politely.  
Before Jenny knew what was happening Jason had scooped her effortlessly into his arms and was carrying her up the path to the front door. Mrs Price hurried behind them squeezing past to unlock the door, allowing Jason to carry her over the threshold. She smiled again, wishing them a pleasant stay before disappearing discreetly back down the path, leaving them alone in the cottage.  
“Welcome to your new home Jenny” He grinned. It was beginning to dawn on Jenny that he had already rented the place, before they had even looked at it! She wanted to be furious with him but when she looked at his face she just couldn’t stay angry. He was smiling like a child, so pleased with his surprise for her.  
“You are impossible Jason!” She said as he lowered her to the floor inside the cottage “I told you, I can’t afford this place! I’ll be living on beans on toast until May now.”  
“No you won’t” He said kissing her “The rents paid, all you need to do is move yourself in and enjoy it.”  
“No Jason! You can’t just pay for it for me, I can’t let you do that!”  
“It’s already done. I couldn’t bear the thought of you in one of those awful flats, you deserve better than that. Anyway, it’s not like I can’t afford it. Think of it as my present to you, to say thank you for making me so happy”  
She was about to protest, but before she could open her mouth to speak his lips were on hers, kissing her again. She couldn’t help responding to him, parting her lips, she allowed his tongue to explore her mouth, moaning softly as he held her close. His hand slid up the back of her thigh, under her skirt to her naked backside.  
Damn, she should be so angry with him. But even as she was trying to formulate what to say, he was unbuttoning his jeans, allowing them to fall around his ankles, his boxers followed. His hands caressed her backside, fingers exploring between her thighs, stimulating her senses, until all thoughts of anger were driven from her mind. Her hands twisted through his hair and she tilted her head back as he began kissing her throat. Pushing her into the wall behind her, he lifted her so that she could wrap her legs around his hips, her back pressing against the cool plaster. She moaned loudly as he thrust himself inside her for the second time in less than an hour. His hips ground into her as the pace of his lovemaking quickened, penetrating deeper and deeper until finally, she exploded around him, crying out his name as he continued to move his hips, extending her orgasm until she thought she could take no more. Just as the intensity of it threatened to overwhelm her completely, Jason’s body shuddered as he too reached his climax.  
Her legs felt like jelly when he finally lowered her back to the floor, planting a kiss firmly on her mouth.  
“I love you Jenny” He announced, when they had both got their breath back and had finished rearranging their clothing “Please don’t lets argue over the house, just let me do this for you, okay”  
“Has anyone ever told you what a lovely man you are?” She smiled, her heart melting. “I’d have been happy with a bunch of flowers you know?!”

Chapter 37  
They explored the cottage together, hand in hand, before spending the evening cuddled on the sofa in the cosy living room. They ate omelette, which Jenny prepared with the eggs and cheese that Mrs Price had left in the welcome pack for them, and drank the white wine which they found chilling in the fridge. After they had eaten, Jenny leaned against Jason, her head resting against his chest, enjoying his touch as he stroked her hair. They talked about how things would be once Jenny was back at work and living in the cottage, with Jason in London, working on the new album with the rest of the band. She found it hard to imagine being apart from him now, even just for a few days, but they agreed that they would move her few belongings in at the weekend, and that Jason would stay there with her until Sunday night before heading back to London.  
She had been thinking for a while that she should try to get her car back, so that she would have some transport during the week. Work was only a short walk away but the nearest supermarket was in the next town and public transport was hopeless. She imagined the confrontation with David that would be inevitable if she went back for the car and the thought sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.  
“Are you OK babe?” Jason felt her shudder and put his arm around her “What’s the matter?”  
“I was thinking about David” She admitted, knowing how he would react.  
“Jenny, just try to forget him. He made your life miserable for years, you deserve so much better than that!” He squeezed her a little tighter and kissed her forehead.  
“I was thinking about getting my car back, except it’s registered in his name, so technically it’s his car” Thinking about it she realised now that this was just another example of how he tried to control her. She had never actually owned a car since they were married. “Do you think I should ask him? Or just forget it”  
The thought of having any contact with David scared her. She knew sooner or later she would have to face him again, but the bruises from their last meeting still hadn’t faded and the stitches that remained in Jason’s face were a stark reminder of his violent temper.  
“I don’t like the idea of you seeing him again just yet Jenny” Jason was as worried as she was about the potential for more aggression. He hated the idea of Jenny getting hurt again. “Why don’t we get you another car and forget about David for now?”  
Pulling away from his embrace, Jenny turned to look him in the eye.  
“Jason!” she said, unable to hide her exasperation “I can’t just pop out and buy another car! And before you even think about it, you are NOT buying one for me!! You’re right about not seeing David but just have to I’ll manage without one for a while”  
Jason put up his hands in mock surrender, before smiling ruefully and pulling her back into his arms.  
“Sorry, I just want you to be happy Jenny, and I REALLY don’t want you to have to see David again” He kissed the top of her head. “It’s been a long day” He murmured into her ear “How about an early night”

 

Chapter 38  
Jenny slept peacefully, wrapped in Jason’s arms until the sound of seagulls squawking outside the window woke her next morning. It was still quite dark, and rain pattered against the window. She felt warm and comfortable there, with his body pressing against hers. She lay still for a while, listening to the sound of his breathing, feeling the rise and fall of his chest against her back. It was the only time that she had been first to wake up since they had been together and she couldn’t bring herself to move and disturb his sleep. After a while she felt him stirring, and then felt him sweep her hair to one side and kiss the back of her neck. Could there possibly be a better way to start the day she wondered.  
“Mmm, good morning gorgeous” She whispered, rolling over to face him. His hair fell across his face and he smiled that irresistible smile that never failed to melt her heart. She cupped his face in her hand and kissed him. A tingle of excitement ran through her, as he responded to her, and their tongues entwined, searching and probing each other’s mouths. She felt his hand gliding over her back, down to her buttock and the tingle became more intense as his tantalising touch moved between her thighs. They made love, slowly and tenderly finding new ways to please each other.  
Later, when they had showered and dressed, they prepared to return to London. Jason and the rest of the band had a meeting with their record company that afternoon, so Jenny decided to stay at his flat. She wanted to buy a few personal things for the cottage to make it feel like home and was looking forward to the excuse for some shopping.  
They drove back after the morning rush hour traffic had cleared, reaching Jason’s apartment building just before noon. The rain was torrential when they pulled up in the residents parking area, which was tucked away behind the building. They jumped out of the car and Jason took off his coat, holding it over their heads as they ran, giggling like children, around the building to the front door.  
They were so engrossed in each other, and in keeping dry, that neither of them noticed that they were being watched. She had been waiting there for them since the night before, sleeping fitfully in a shop door way, her anger growing by the hour as she irrationally blamed him for the cold, miserable night she had endured. As she watched them run past together Stephanie pulled a tattered photograph from her pocket, and stared at the young couple in the picture. She had been so beautiful then, and he was handsome too, with his square jaw and dazzling smile. Standing, she screwed the picture into a ball, before throwing it into the water than ran down the side of the road, watching it float away and finally disappear down a drain. Tears of anger pricked her eyes as she imagined how her life might have been if he had stayed with her. God, how she hated him for ruining her life, and how she hated to see him so successful and happy. 

Chapter 39  
Almost falling through the front door of the building, Jason and Jenny were still laughing as he shook the worst of the rain out of his coat. Despite his best effort to keep them both dry they looked like a pair of drowned rats standing in the warm hallway.  
“Come on” He grinned “Let’s go and get out of these wet clothes” He winked at her as he took her hand and led her into the lift.  
“Don’t you go getting any ideas now” Jenny laughed “You have an appointment in less than an hour, and I have some serious shopping to do this afternoon.”  
“Spoil sport” Jason pouted playfully.  
The apartment was warm and welcoming. He filled the kettle and flicked it on, before starting to peel off the wet clothes that clung to his body. Jenny stood watching as he kicked off his Addidas Sambas, he pulled his sweater over his head, then his t shirt, throwing them into the washing machine before starting to unfasten the chunky buckle of the leather belt, which held his jeans around his slim hips. She smiled to herself as his tongue poked between his teeth, as though he had to concentrate on the task of removing his soaking wet jeans. Glancing up he grinned at her.  
“What’s so funny?” He asked, as he pulled the jeans off, tossing them into the machine with his sweater and t shirt.  
“Nothing – I was just admiring the view” She smiled. He was stunning, slim and toned, and just looking at him, standing there in his boxers, sent a ripple of desire through her. Not now, she told herself. He had to be at the record company offices in less than an hour for goodness sake.  
He walked gracefully across the kitchen, kissing her tenderly as he passed her, heading towards the bedroom. Watching him disappear through the doorway Jenny had to remind herself, yet again, that this was really happening, she almost wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.  
She pulled off her wet clothes and shoved them into the washing machine, then followed him into the bedroom, wearing only her bra and briefs. He was in the bathroom and she could hear the hum of the trimmer that he used to tame his sometimes unruly beard. She retrieved some dry jeans and a sweater from the wardrobe and was dressed again by the time he emerged from the bathroom. He was still wearing only his boxers, but now looking like a tidy and more business like version of himself, with just a hint of stubble on his square jaw.  
“Are you sure you’ll be ok here on your own this afternoon” He asked, as he pulled on a pair of grey trousers and a thin black sweater and slipped his bare feet into a pair of grey suede moccasins.  
“I’ll be fine. I’m going to have a look around the shops for some new bedding and stuff for Rosebank, I want to make it feel more like home” Jenny was looking forward to some serious retail therapy. She already loved the cottage and wanted to add some personal touches.  
“OK, I shouldn’t be too late back, maybe we could go out for dinner tonight. What do you fancy? Curry?”  
“Curry sounds good” Jenny said kissing him and ushering him towards the door “Now go on, you’ll be late”

 

Chapter 40  
He grabbed a large black umbrella from the corner of the hall before giving her a final kiss and heading out of the door, leaving Jenny alone in his flat. It felt strange being there alone, they had hardly been apart since that meeting in the snow, and although that had been less than a week ago it felt as though they had been together forever. Jenny set the washing machine running with their wet clothes, then put on some make-up and tidied her hair, ready to hit the shops. She didn’t even really know what she wanted to buy, the cottage had all the essentials, but if she was going to be there for several months she wanted it to feel more like home.  
Her shopping trip was productive, but took longer than she had planned, as she spent time choosing bedding, curtains and a few pretty mugs, plates and bowls for the kitchen. It was getting dark by the time she returned to the flat and Jason was already home. She found him sitting on the sofa with a coffee in one hand, she could tell immediately that something was wrong, it was written all over his face.  
“Hi, are you alright? Did something happen at the meeting? You look worried” She crossed the room and kissed him lightly on the cheek, before sitting beside him on the sofa.  
“No, the meeting was great. The record company love the new material so we start recording soon.” He hesitated, before continuing. “It’s this…” He pulled a familiar looking pink envelope from his pocket, there was no post mark, it had been delivered by hand.  
“Oh God, what does it say” Jenny was almost afraid to ask.  
He pulled a sheet of pink paper from the envelope and handed it to her. She took a deep breath before unfolding it, to reveal the short, vicious message.  
*DITCH THE BITCH OR YOU’LL REGRET IT YOU BASTARD*  
Jenny felt her heart jolt as she read it.  
“You need to report this Jason” She said softly, linking her arm through his. “You can’t just ignore it, it’s like a direct threat.” Then she paused, her heart ponding in her chest “Unless…..” She could hardly bear to think about it “Unless you want me to go…..”  
“God, no Jenny!” Jason pulled her close and kissed her hair “I don’t want you to go, I never want you to go!”  
This note was different to the others he had received, the focus had changed. With the other girls the threats were against whoever he had been with at the time. This time the anger and hate was directed at him personally, and that somehow made the decision easier for him. He didn’t have to feel responsible for anyone else this time, and there was no way he was going to let some psycho ruin things for him and Jenny.  
“Are you sure?” Jenny’s mind was racing now. What if these weren’t just idle threats? She couldn’t bear the thought of anyone hurting him because of her. She certainly wouldn’t blame him if he decided to cut and run.  
“I’ve never been more sure about anything Jenny” He kissed her again, stroking her hair away from her face and looking into her eyes “I love you”  
“I love you too” She whispered “Please, promise me you’ll tell the police about this though. I’m scared whoever this is will do something awful”  
“I’ll tell our security guys” He promised “they’ll probably be more useful than the police. We’ll be away from here tomorrow anyway, and nobody else knows about Rosebank. We can forget about whoever is writing this rubbish for a couple of days” He was more glad than ever that he had rented the cottage. It was an escape from everything. “Please try not to worry about it. It’s just words on a bit of paper, nothing more”  
As good as his word, he called Steve, one of the security men, who had looked after him and the band for years. They had a good team, who were expert at keeping crowds at bay, and ensuring they arrived safely to gigs, press conferences and interviews. He tried to play down the situation and told him that he was going away for a few days so would be out of harm’s way. There was little that anyone could do, but Steve insisted that Jason keep him informed of where he was, and tell him if any other letters arrived.

Chapter 41  
They tried to forget about the note for the rest of the evening. Neither of them felt much like going out for dinner, so Jason ordered a take away and they ate curry sitting on the sofa, listening to a Pink Floyd CD and planning for their weekend.  
When they had finished eating, he leaned across and planted a kiss on her cheek, as she turned to smile at him, he kissed her again, on the lips this time. Jenny responded, her hands twisting through his hair as his kisses moved to her neck. She needed him tonight, needed to feel him close to her, it made her feel safe and helped her to forget that threatening note that hung over them like a dark cloud. His hands began to move over her body, sliding under her sweater, gently gliding over her skin, sending a tingle of anticipation through her.  
“Not here” She whispered “Let’s go to bed”  
He grinned, standing and pulling her to her feet. As he led the way to the bedroom he pulled his black sweater off over his head, tossing it onto the bedroom floor. She couldn’t resist touching him, tracing a line down his spine with her finger, before putting her arms around his waist and standing on tiptoes to kiss his neck. Turning, he grabbed her sweater, pulling it up over her head and tossing it down beside his own. He reached his arms around her, deftly unhooking her bra and watching it fall to the floor at their feet.  
They kissed again, his hands caressing her breasts, she moaned in pleasure as she fumbled with his belt, then the button fly of the soft grey trousers. They fell around his ankles and he kicked them away. Moving to the bed Jason sat on the edge, kissing her belly as he unbuttoned her jeans, sliding down the zip and pulling them off, together with her lacy knickers. She stepped out of them, standing naked in front of him. Grabbing her hips, he lay back on the bed, pulling her down on top of him. She giggled as he rolled her over and sat astride her, holding her hands above her head as he nibbled gently on her ear, she felt his hands glide down her arms, his touch so soft it almost tickled. God it felt so good, her back arched as he kissed her throat. They rolled again, side by side now, he reached down to her thigh with one hand, while the other pushed a stray wisp of hair off her face. She felt him, hard against her leg, still restrained by the soft fabric of his boxers, they would have to go! Reaching down she pulled them over his hips and felt him spring free, she grasped his erection, running her hand up it and stroking the tip with her thumb.  
“Oh shit! That’s good” He murmured “That’s so good” She continued to tease him, feeling him become ever more aroused. His hands caressed her too, touching and stroking, bringing her to the very brink of her orgasm.  
“Take me” She begged at last, when every fibre of her being was crying out for release. “Jason, I need you, now!” She was breathless with anticipation as he rolled onto her, filling her. He penetrated deep inside her before pulling back and thrusting again. She could feel herself spiralling out of control now, overwhelmed by the exquisite sensation that overtook her being, wave upon wave of pure sexual pleasure left her gasping. His rhythm quickened, his hips grinding into hers, extending her ecstasy until, just as she felt she could take no more, she felt his body shudder and he cried out her name as he too reached his climax.  
Chapter 42  
When Jenny woke she was alone in the bed. She had had a bad night, her dreams filled with images of malevolent strangers, lurking in alley ways. It was still dark, and when she looked across at the clock it was only 5.30am. She could hear Jason’s yoga music playing quietly in the living room. She lay, warm and comfortable, imagining him working through his sequence of poses. She wondered if he was up early because he had slept badly too. He had tried to play down the note, but she was sure he must be as worried about it as she was.  
She was right, Jason never slept well and last night was worse than most. He had lain awake after Jenny drifted off to sleep, unable to shake off the thought that someone out there hated him enough to send those notes, and that it was quite possible that whoever it was also intended to put their words into action. After dozing fitfully for a few hours, he gave up and went to the kitchen to make himself a drink, sitting on the sofa with a steaming mug of tea. Not wanting to disturb Jenny he spent a while trying to sleep there, before giving up completely and starting his yoga workout.  
By 6.30am they were both up, showered and ready to start their journey back to Rosebank. Jenny had packed her belongings into two suitcases that Jason had lent her and stowed them into the boot of his car, and by 7am they were driving through the relatively quiet London streets. Jason was glad to be taking a couple of days away, he liked the fact that nobody knew about the cottage, it gave him the chance to be anonymous for a few days. He wished he could stay there longer, both because he knew how hard it would be to leave Jenny alone and go back to London without her, and also because he was glad put some distance between himself and the writer of those notes, whoever they might be. If he didn’t have commitments with the band he wouldn’t even think about going back to London, but with the album now ready to start recording he knew he had no choice.  
In the doorway near his flat, Stephanie sat shivering in the cold February morning. She downed another mouthful of methadone from the bottle and swore under her breath. They looked so happy together, and he didn’t deserve that, not after what he’d done to her. In her paranoid, drug damaged brain mind, he was responsible for her misery. It should be her, living in luxury, travelling the world with him. She almost felt sorry for the new bitch, it was only a matter of time before he left her in the gutter too, she was going to make damned sure of that, one way or another. She wanted to see him alone and miserable, like her, and if the letters weren’t enough she would just have to try something else.

Chapter 43

The temperature had dropped again overnight, but the sun was shining, and when they arrived at the cottage they wrapped themselves in warm coats, scarves and hats and went walking on the beach. A few dog walkers nodded politely as they passed, but they were otherwise left in peace to enjoy each other’s company. Later they went and browsed around the quirky little shops in the village, and stocked up the kitchen with enough food to last Jenny for the week, so that she could manage without a car until he returned. That evening they sat talking, cuddled together in front of the open fire.  
“I’ll miss you this week” Jenny told him as she lay on the sofa with her head resting on his lap.  
“I’ll miss you too” He replied, stroking her hair “But it’s only until next weekend. I’ll be back here on Friday night”  
The band had to record a TV interview on Friday afternoon, the first of many now the new album was underway. He’d rather be with Jenny, walking on the beach, but promotion was an essential part of the process and it was unavoidable. Stephen, from security had already told him that, because of the threatening notes, they would have extra men on hand when they arrived at the TV studios, and Jason had a horrible feeling it could all turn into a media circus.  
By ten o’clock the fire was dying down and they made their way to the bedroom, where they made love, slowly, savouring every moment. As they lay together afterwards, Jenny traced patterns with her fingers on his naked chest, while he held her in his arms, until they both drifted off to sleep.  
Sunday passed all too quickly and as darkness fell in the early evening they both knew that it was nearly time for Jason to leave. Jenny choked back tears as he threw his overnight bag into the car. It would only be a few days until she saw him again she told herself. But when he hugged her, kissing her goodbye she couldn’t stop tears from coming, she clung to him and her tears soaked his shirt.  
“Sorry” she sniffed, trying to compose herself “I know it’s not for long but I’m going to miss you so much!”  
He cupped her face in his hands, gently stroking away her tears with his thumbs and kissing her again.  
“I’ll miss you too” He smiled. “Keep the bed warm for me”  
“Do you ever think of anything else?!” She laughed through her tears, slapping him playfully on the shoulder.  
“Hmmm, let me think….. No” He laughed. He hated seeing Jenny so sad and tried to lighten the moment. But he knew that no amount of joking would make the parting any easier. He longed to be able to stay there with her, just as much as she did.  
After another long, passionate kiss he finally climbed behind the wheel of his car, he pulled away and his heart ached as he looked in the rear view mirror and saw Jenny crying at the side of the road. It really was only for a few days he told himself, as he turned out of the lane and started the drive back to London.  
When he was gone Jenny went back into the cottage and wandered from room to room, it felt so empty without Jason there. She went to the kitchen and made herself a drink, before sitting on the sofa, where he had left his scarf, tucked behind one of the cushions. Gathering the soft wool in her hands she buried her face in it, breathing deeply. It smelt of Jason and having something of his there was comforting. After a while she picked up her ipod, scrolled through the songs and selected Flowerbed, hitting repeat she sat listening to his voice, wishing he was there with her. 

 

Chapter 44  
Jason arrived back in London late in the evening. He absentmindedly scooped the post form his box in the hallway and shuffled through the assorted rubbish on his way up in the lift. Why did everyone want to sell him something? Shit! Not again – there was another pink envelope, right at the bottom of the stack of post. Why couldn’t this psycho just leave him alone? He walked to his door and let himself in, still holding the envelope. Part of him didn’t want to open it, but he had to know what it said. Taking a deep breath he ripped it open and pulled out the single sheet of paper. He unfolded it to reveal the short message.  
*STILL WITH THE BITCH? YOU WILL REGRET IT -WATCH YOUR BACK!*  
Slumping on the sofa, he pulled his phone from his pocket. He had promised Stephen that he’d report any more letters as soon as he got them.  
“Hi, Stephen. It’s Jason… I’ve had another bloody note. Will you be at the studio tomorrow if I bring it with me?”  
Stephen wanted to come straight round to the flat to see the letter for himself, but it was late and Jason just wanted to try to get some sleep. Reluctantly he agreed to wait until the morning and meet Jason at the studio before they started work.  
“Lock your door Jason. I’ll send a car for you tomorrow” Stephen took his job deadly seriously and he didn’t want to take any chances. Jason tried to argue but eventually agreed to accept a lift to the studio. Anything for a quiet life.  
He ended his call and went to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of wine. The flat seemed quiet now, he had always been happy with his own company but now he missed having Jenny there with him. Although he was glad she wasn’t there to see this latest letter, she’d only worry, and it was good to know that at least she was out of harm’s way at Rosebank. He wished he was there too, he hated that this person, whoever it might me, could make him feel like a prisoner in his own home.  
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that the text alert on his phone made him jump. Opening the message he smiled  
“Missing you already. Goodnight gorgeous xxx” He pictured Jenny sitting safe in the cottage.  
“Miss you too – now go to bed you have work tomorrow. I love you. Goodnight xxxxxxxx”  
Hitting send he decided that maybe he should try to get some rest too. It was going to be an early start and a long week recording.  
Climbing naked into the empty bed he tried to sleep, but despite feeling dog tired, sleep eluded him. Every time he closed his eyes his mind went straight back to the content of the latest note. An hour later he was still lying awake. He picked up a book from the bedside table, hoping that maybe reading for a while would help him to relax. The night passed slowly, he dozed off for a while but was awake again in the early hours, pacing around the flat.  
By morning he hadn’t slept for more than a couple of hours and he felt like shit. He showered and dressed and was ready and waiting when the intercom buzzed. His lift had arrived – time for work. Stephen himself was sitting behind the wheel of the blacked out BMW which was waiting outside the front of the building. Jason jumped into the passenger seat and the car pulled away from the kerb.  
If either of them had looked back they would have seen the scruffy figure hurrying to catch the front door of the building before it swung shut. Stephanie carried a parcel under her arm, boarding the lift she rode it to the top floor and deposited the package outside the door of his apartment. As she slipped away again she wished she could be a fly on the wall when he opened it.

Chapter 45  
Jason was last to arrive at the studio, he had an appointment first, to have the stitches removed from his face. It felt good to get rid of them and when he checked a mirror he had to admit that, despite being a grumpy bugger, Howard’s doctor friend had done a good job.  
As they drove, Jason called Jenny to wish her good luck back at work. They chatted for a while, until Jenny realised the time, swore and said a hasty goodbye. She didn’t want to be late on her first day back.  
When he arrived at the studio the others were waiting for him. Greeting him with a hug, they brought him up to date with where they were with the first track. They all noticed the dark circles under his eyes, and by lunchtime Howard in particular was thinking that there was more to Jason’s tiredness than simply spending too many long nights with Jenny.  
“Are you okay Jay?” He asked when they were alone for a while during a break “You look like shit mate”  
“Well thanks for that! I’m fine, just not been sleeping very well lately that’s all” Seeing the doubtful look on Howard’s face Jason sighed. Deciding that a problem shared might be a problem halved, he told Howard about the latest note, and about Stephen being involved now. He didn’t admit to losing sleep over the notes. He didn’t need to.  
Howard persuaded him to tell the Gary and Mark, who were predictably alarmed, especially about the most recent note. They understood Jason’s frustration that Stephen insisted he didn’t go anywhere on his own for a while. Howard volunteered to give him a lift home, and Jason gratefully accepted the offer, preferring his company to the ever serious Stephen.  
They worked until early evening, then said their goodbyes and headed home. Stephen had reluctantly agreed that Jason could get a lift with Howard, telling him to call if there were any new developments. At the apartment building Jason invited his friend in for a coffee, they laughed and chatted in the lift, Howard making crude but good natured comments about Jason’s relationship with Jenny. When they stepped out of the lift on Jason’s landing their laughter stopped abruptly. A shoebox sized package was on the floor outside his door, a pink typewritten label was taped to it.  
“Is it ticking?” Howard tried for humour and immediately regretted it “Sorry Jay. Stupid thing to say. Shall we call Stephen, and get him to check it out?”  
“No. Whoever this is, they use an old typewriter and pink notepaper. It’s not a bloody bomb!” Jason picked up the package and opened his front door. Putting the box on the coffee table he took a deep breath and tore open the brown paper it was wrapped in. He glanced up at Howard before lifting the lid of the box.  
“Urgh! Holly fuck!” He jumped up from the sofa. Lying in the box on a bed of crumpled newspaper was a dead rat, a slip of paper rested on top of the carcase, just two words were typed on it.  
*YOU NEXT*  
Howard fumbled for his phone and with shaking hands scrolled down his contacts. Hitting the call button he paced the floor.  
“Stephen…. It’s Howard, we need you at Jay’s place. Now” 

Chapter 46  
The intercom buzzed after only ten minutes. Stephen came in with gloves and a large plastic bag. He frowned at the grisly contents of the package and at the note.  
“Right, enough is enough Jason.” He said, prodding the rat with the end of a biro. “I know you’re meant to be recording this week but I want you to get away for a while. Go back to that cottage, spend some time with your girlfriend and stay there for a few days. We’ll get you back for the TV work on Friday, or the press will be all over us wondering why you’re not there, and we don’t want them getting hold of this. Until then, take some time away”  
Jason nodded blankly, he was only too happy to go back to Rosebank. He was annoyed with himself for letting this get to him but he couldn’t help it. He needed to get away and just at that moment he wanted, more than anything else, to be with Jenny.  
At Stephen’s request, Howard called Gary to let him know what was happening. Jason listened to one side of the conversation, it didn’t take much imagination to fill in the gaps. Recording was cancelled for the rest of the week, and when he finished the call, Howard assured Jason that Gary agreed he should get away for a while. These days they all put their personal lives higher on the agenda and if one of them needed time, then that’s what they got.  
“Are you going to call Jenny and tell her what’s happening?” Howard asked, putting a hand on Jason’s shoulder. He could see that Jason was really shaken and who could blame him? “Do you want me to do it?”  
“No. No I don’t want her to hear about this on the phone, not when she’s there on her own Howie. I’ll text her and tell her I’m coming down, we can talk when I get there.” Jason sighed. This was all so bloody crazy! What had he done to deserve this sort of hatred?  
Picking up his mobile he started typing a text  
“Hi Babe. What time are you at lunch tomorrow? Have day off ” He hit send and waited.  
Jenny was cooking dinner when she heard the text alert on her phone. A huge grin spread across her face when she opened the message. It was ridiculous how much she was missing him after just one day, the thought of seeing him tomorrow made her so happy.  
“1-2pm Missing you xxxx” She sent her reply. She was so pleased he was coming that it didn’t occur to her to wonder why his plans had suddenly changed.  
Stephen left half an hour later with the box and its contents, he had friends in the police and was going to call in a favour or two. Nobody wanted news of the letters and threats to get into the press, but they all agreed that things had gone beyond the stage where they could ignore it. When he was gone Howard went to the kitchen and poured two large glasses of red wine, Jason sat on the sofa, still looking as though he was in shock.  
“Here, get this down you mate” Howard handed him the glass. “Do you want me to stay tonight, I’ll sleep on the sofa if you like. You look like you need some company”  
Jason took the wine and drank half a glass without pausing for breath. He wanted to say that he was fine and Howard should go home, but actually he wasn’t fine at all. In fact, if he was completely honest, he was shit scared – somebody out there wanted him dead.  
“You know what Howie, that’d be great.” Jason decided now wasn’t the time for heroics. “If you’re sure you don’t mind”  
“Course I don’t mind. I’ll stay til you leave in the morning” He went back to the kitchen and returned with the bottle of Rioja. “Now have another glass of vino … if you ever needed an excuse to get pissed I reckon a dead rat in a shoebox is about as good as it gets!”

Chapter 47  
They sat drinking and chatting until after midnight. Howard ordered pizza and devoured it as though he hadn’t eaten in weeks, but Jason had no appetite. The red wine on an empty stomach quickly went to his head, dulling his anxiety. He welcomed the feeling of alcohol induced drowsiness that it brought.  
When he finally went to bed sleep came quickly, but so did the dreams. Confusing, dark images of shadowy figures chasing him. He was running but everywhere he put his feet hundreds of rats were scurrying, tripping him, slowing him down.  
“Jason….JASON wake up!” Howard had heard him from the next room. Shaking him awake, he handed him a glass of water. “Are you alright mate?”  
“Oh shit” Jason sat up, groggy and disoriented “Sorry Howie, did I wake you?”  
“It’s ok, bad dream?”  
“Yeah. Yeah….sorry”  
“Go back to sleep mate” Howard put a hand on Jason’s shoulder “This time tomorrow you’ll have Jenny tucked up with you in the little love nest of yours. I bet she’ll find all sorts of ways to take your mind off all the crap that’s going on here” He grinned and Jason couldn’t help smiling too.  
He dozed on and off for the rest of the night, and by 6am he was up and showered ready to go. Howard stretched and groaned on the sofa when Jason came into the living room at 6.15 and asked if he wanted breakfast.  
By 7.30 Jason was on the road, he knew he’d be there too early but he needed to get out of London. The traffic slowed his journey to the south coast, heavy rain made driving difficult and several accidents on the motorway meant long delays. Despite the hold ups he was still outside the cottage by 11am, he desperately wanted to go straight to Jenny’s office and drag her away from her work, but he restrained himself. Only two hours, he told himself.

Chapter 48  
Jenny sat at her desk all morning trying to concentrate on her work. It was hopeless, she was clock watching, counting the minutes until lunchtime. She found herself gazing out of the window, wondering where he was and wishing the morning away. By five to one she couldn’t bear it anymore she was about to log out of her workstation when Sue from reception tapped on the door.  
“Jenny….There’s someone here to see you.” She said with a big grin “Is it really who I think it is, cos I didn’t like to ask, and I really can’t believe it!”  
“Thanks Sue” Jenny leapt from her chair and grabbed her jacket “and yes, yes it really is!” Before Sue could say another word Jenny was running down the corridor to reception  
“Hi Babe” he smiled, as she ran into his arms. He lifted her off her feet, swinging her around and kissing her. The touch of his lips on hers felt so good, she didn’t want it to end.  
“I’ve missed you” Jenny said when, at last, their lips parted. She noticed the stitches were gone from his face and gently stroked her fingers over the scar that remained. She also noticed the dark circles under his eyes, he looked as though he hadn’t slept for days. “Are you ok? You look so tired. I didn’t think I’d see you until the weekend”  
“I’m fine. There was a bit of a change of plan” Jason said simply, not wanting to get into the gruesome details of the previous night. “Shall we get out of here for a while?” He added glancing around them  
Jenny realised for the first time that several of her colleagues were peeping around doors, or staring from their desks at them. She nodded, grinning. “This will give them all something to gossip about over their sandwiches” She whispered as they headed out into the cold.  
They made the short walk back to the cottage, and as soon as they were through the front door they were in each other’s arms, kissing hungrily. Stripping off their coats, they stumbled together, up the stairs to the bedroom. Jenny’s hands twisted through his hair as their tongues probed and explored each other’s mouths. She felt him pulling at her blouse, untucking it from her pencil skirt, dragging it up over her head, without even attempting to undo the tiny buttons. Their lips parted and he pulled off his sweater, throwing it aside. She stripped off the skirt, as he unfastened her bra, allowing her breasts to escape from the flimsy lace cups as it fell to the floor.  
“Oh God you look so hot” He breathed, quickly undoing his belt and the button of his jeans, allowing them to fall from his hips and stepping out of them, kicking them aside. Jenny stood in her knickers and a pair of black lace topped stockings. She was aching for him now, desperate to feel his touch again. She wrapped her arms around him as he began kissing her neck, nibbling at her earlobes, his hands sliding down her back to caress her buttocks through the thin silky fabric of her knickers. She hooked her thumbs into the top of his boxers and pulled them down as he slipped his fingers inside her knickers, teasing and stroking until she felt she would explode.  
They moved together to the side of the bed, sinking onto the soft mattress, their bodies never losing contact with each other. His lips moved down again, from her mouth to her neck and then to her breasts, sucking and teasing her nipples as he ripped her knickers down. He rolled onto her and she wrapped her legs around his hips, feeling his erection pressing against her. She reached down, grasping it and massaging its length. He moaned in pleasure, his mouth still dancing a tango over her breasts, his tongue rolling around her nipples. She felt his fingers again, stroking and probing, sending her senses soaring. Releasing his throbbing erection, her nails raked down his back as her body arched in pure pleasure. With one swift movement he buried himself deep inside her and she cried out in a mixture of pleasure and pain. There was an urgency in his lovemaking, his body moving in a quickening rhythm as he pushed deeper and deeper into her. Jenny’s breathing became ragged as she felt herself climbing to the brink of her orgasm before exploding around him as he gave a final thrust and collapsed gasping on top of her.  
“Oh God, I’ve missed you so much” He sighed, while they lay side by side breathing heavily. Leaning over he planted a kiss on her forehead, gently stroking her hair away from her face.  
She looked up at him, and once again she was struck by the almost haunted look in his eyes. Pulling herself up onto one elbow she ran her hand over his stubbly face.  
“Jason” She said gently “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

Chapter 49  
Jenny never made it back to work that afternoon. They lay side by side, and she listened in horror as Jason explained about the package he had received. He tried to play it down, he didn’t want to scare her, but how do you play down a dead rat being delivered to your home?  
The thought that somebody could want to hurt him was totally beyond her, how could anyone hate this wonderful, kind, lovely man that much? Despite his effort to hide it, she could see how much the whole horrible business had affected him. He looked exhausted, and she longed to be able to make this whole nightmare just go away. She stroked his hair as he spoke, desperately wanting to comfort him in some way. She wanted him to stay there with her, where it was safe. The thought of him going back to London, terrified her.  
“Do you really have to go back for that TV show on Friday?” She asked “Can’t you let the others do it without you?”  
“I have to do it” Jason replied “It’ll be our first interview together since the end of the last tour. If I don’t turn up everyone would want to know why. It doesn’t take much for the rumour mongers to get going and before you know it there’d be stories about some new argument in the band, or that I’ve decided to leave or some other rubbish. Anyway, I can’t just hide away here forever, as much as I’d love to, we need to get the album finished”  
She knew he was right. Only a few weeks ago she had been one of those fans, crying out for information and absolutely desperate to see them all together again. If she had seen the other three on TV without Jason she would have been incredibly disappointed and would have been asking why he wasn’t there.  
“I know you’re right” She sighed “But I’m so scared that whoever this crazy person is, they’ll really try to hurt you” She could feel a lump in her throat as she thought about it and swallowed hard, trying to fight back the tears.  
“Hey…. It’ll be fine” Jason could see tears filling her eyes. He hugged her close and kissed her. “We have a great security team Jenny. They’ve been taking care of us for years. Nobody will get past them”  
She wanted to believe him, but despite his attempts to reassure her, she had a knot in the pit of her stomach. A tear trickled down her cheek and Jason gently kissed it away, he stroked his fingers softly down her face, continuing down to her neck.  
“Don’t cry babe” He whispered “Everything going to be fine, I promise” His lips found hers and he kissed her tenderly.  
They lay there in bed for most of the afternoon. Jenny phoned her work and persuaded her boss to let her take a half day’s holiday. It hadn’t gone down well, and she was sure when she went back to work the next day she’d find herself very unpopular, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was being with Jason. After a while he drifted off into a deep and much needed sleep, Jenny lay watching him, listening to him breathing and once again she marvelled at how beautiful he was, lying naked beside her. He had been sleeping for nearly two hours when Jenny finally slipped out of the bed, pulling on a dressing gown she went downstairs to get a drink. When she returned a few minutes later he was stirring.  
“Hi sleepyhead” She smiled, sitting on the side of the bed beside him.  
“Sorry, did I doze off? How long have I been asleep?” He asked sleepily. “What time is it?”  
“It’s nearly four o’clock” Jenny smiled “You looked so peaceful, I didn’t want to disturb you. And you looked like you needed some sleep”  
“Is that your way of telling me I look like shit?” He said with a wry smile.  
“You never look anything other than gorgeous” She said softly, brushing a strand of hair away from his face and kissing him “It’s just that today you looked gorgeous and exhausted. Do you feel better now?”  
“Mmm….much better thanks” He reached out and pulled her down onto the bed beside him. Untying the belt of her dressing gown, he slipped his arms inside, wrapping them around her and pulling her close. She nuzzled into his neck, enjoying the feel of his stubbly beard on her face. For a while at least they forgot about the letters, losing themselves in each other once again.

Chapter 50  
Jenny went back to work the next day, grovelling to the boss to make amends for her impromptu afternoon off. Mid morning her phone rang, it was Sue on the reception desk.  
“There’s a delivery here for you Jenny” She announced brightly, “shall I send it round”  
“Yes please” Jenny wasn’t expecting anything today, and was still wondering if it was some sample from one of the reps that plagued her for business, when her office door opened. She could hardly see the young woman standing there because the bouquet of red roses she was carrying was so enormous. They were beautiful, simply tied with white ribbon, there must have been two dozen! She hurried to take the bouquet, grinning like a schoolgirl. A card was tucked in amongst the scented blooms.  
*Miss you already. Love you. J xxxx*  
She found a jug in the staff kitchen and put the flowers in water on her desk. Smiling, she picked up her phone.  
“Got the flowers  Thank you!! Love you too. J xxxxxxxxxxxxxx” She hit send, smiling and tried to get on with her work. It was hard to concentrate, the flowers reminded her that Jason was back at the cottage, and she would have loved to be there with him.  
At exactly 1pm her phone rang again  
“Jenny, you have a visitor” Sue was clearly trying to sound bored, while desperately struggling to contain her excitement. “He seems to have brought you lunch” She added before hanging up. Moments later her office door opened slowly and Jason stood there grinning, he was holding a large picnic basket. Jenny leapt from her chair and ran to him flinging her arms around his neck and kissing him.  
“What are you doing here?” She laughed “I thought you said you had stuff to do today?”  
“I did” he grinned “I had to buy you flowers and make a picnic for us. I don’t want to get you the sack by dragging you away from work again, so I thought we could have a picnic here. What do you think? Will your boss mind?”  
“Oh God Jason, I love you! I’m on my lunch break, she can’t mind.” Jenny couldn’t wipe the grin off her face. He was just too perfect! “What’s for lunch?”  
She moved papers from her desk, making room for Jason to put the basket down. Opening it with a flourish he started producing a wonderful variety of foods laying them out on the desk. Pulling up the spare chair that stood in the corner of the office, he sat beside her, tearing off a piece of crusty bread and adding houmous and sliced tomato. They ate and talked, finishing with fresh strawberries, which Jason dipped into Greek yoghurt before feeding them to her seductively, teasing her with each one and making her giggle.  
When 2 o’clock came, and Jason left her to her work, she sat smiling and trying to get her mind back on the project she was working on. She managed to complete a couple of the tasks she had set herself for the day, but her mind was elsewhere. To be exact it was back at the cottage, she was longing to thank him properly for his romantic gestures today, and the best way she could think of to say thank you had her body tingling with excitement and anticipation. Jeez, he could turn her on when he wasn’t even with her!  
By 5pm she was a bundle of sexual frustration and desire. As she hastily shut down her workstation and grabbed her coat, her office door swung open and there he was, smiling that sexy smile.  
“Hi babe, I thought I’d come and walk you home” He said, striding gracefully across the office to plant a kiss on her cheek. It took all her willpower to stop herself tearing his clothes of right there and then.  
“Oh God Jason, what are you doing to me! Let’s get home” She returned his kiss and as her lips brushed across his cheek she whispered “I want you….now”

Chapter 51  
As they closed the front door behind them, Jenny reached up and put her arms around his neck, standing on tiptoes to kiss him. His lips parted under hers and her tongue began exploring his mouth, enjoying the taste of him. When she finally stepped back, she looked him in the eyes and smiled.  
“Have I told you recently how much I love you” She said softly. She began unbuttoning his coat, slipping it off of his shoulders and allowing it to fall to the floor. Slipping her own coat off too she dropped that with his and took his hand, leading him up the stairs towards their bedroom. She could feel her heart beating a little faster now, as her excitement grew.  
At the top of the stairs they stopped and kissed again. His hands caressed the back of her neck, his fingers running through her hair, as their tongues entwined. Jenny slid her hands under his sweater, sliding them up his warm back, enjoying the feeling of his skin under her fingers. He began unbuttoning her blouse, slowly and seductively, kissing her neck as each button came undone. The thin fabric slipped off of her shoulders and fell to the floor. They moved to the bedroom and Jenny grabbed his sweater, pulling it over his head. He stood before her, slim and beautiful, and she just had to touch him. She traced patterns with her fingertips over his chest and downwards, loving the feel of his happy trail, before reaching the buckle of the belt, which held his jeans on his hips. As she undid the belt, he was still kissing her neck, it felt so good. He reached behind her to unclasp her bra, sliding the straps down her arms and tossing the flimsy garment across the room.  
She undid his jeans and they fell to the floor, he stepped out of them, so now he stood in just his boxers. Jenny unzipped the straight skirt she was wearing, so that this too fell away.  
“Sit down” Jason murmured, guiding her to the bed. She sat on the edge and he lifted her left leg, sliding her stocking off, oh so slowly. He kissed her toes before lowering her leg to the floor and repeating the whole sensual process with her right leg. When he had finished, Jenny reached out and dragged his boxers down. His impressive erection sprang free, and she smiled up at him before pulling him down onto the bed.  
He kissed her neck, then her shoulders, his hands caressing her breasts. Jenny moaned softly as he rolled her nipples in his fingers. She slid a hand down his back, over his buttock, pulling his hips towards her so that their bodies were pressed together. His hands moved down, hooking his fingers into the top of her knickers and pulling them down until she could wriggle free of them and kick them aside. She moaned softly as she felt his fingers probing between her thighs, setting her senses on fire.  
Reaching down, she grasped his throbbing erection, sliding her hand along its length, and gently brushing her thumb over the tip.  
“Oh fuck, Jenny” He groaned as her fingers stroked and teased. She took him to the brink, before releasing her grip and climbing onto him. She knelt astride his hips, and began to lower herself, inch by inch, onto him. He arched his hips to press himself deeper into her, but Jenny lifted herself again, so that they almost separated.  
“Has nobody ever told you that patience is a virtue” She teased “Now keep still” Slowly, so, so slowly began to lower herself again. The intense, sensual pleasure built as she allowed him deeper inside her. He moaned her name and begged her to let him move, his hands grasping her hips as she continued to tease him.  
“I need you NOW Jenny” He groaned and thrust his hips again, this time Jenny didn’t stop him. Instead she allowed the sensation to overwhelm her, she exploded around him, crying out his name as he pressed himself deeper into her. His body moving rhythmically until, at last, he gave a final thrust and collapsed gasping under her.

Chapter 53  
Later that night, when they had eaten and were relaxing together in front of the open fire, Jason called Stephen. He needed to know what was happening in London, he knew Stephen would be working on sorting the situation out, but it kept playing on his mind. He also wanted to make arrangements for his return on Friday and for the journey to the TV studios.  
Stephen had put a team of men on a rota to keep an eye on his flat, someone was outside, discreetly watching, 24 hours a day. Nothing had happened, nobody had entered the building apart from other residents and a few trades people. The postman had brought nothing out of the ordinary, Stephen had checked the post himself for any new hate mail.  
Jason agreed that the security team would stay outside when he returned on Friday. He wasn’t keen on the idea, it felt like an invasion of his privacy. But he realised that Stephen knew what he was doing, and with the memory of the macabre package still fresh in his mind, it was reassuring to know that someone had his back.  
They had to be at the TV studio for 8pm for the live chat show interview. Jenny finished work at lunchtime on Fridays so they planned to drive back to London together in the afternoon. Stephen would collect Jason at 7pm before picking up Howard too and driving them to the studio together. Mark and Gary would be taken separately by other drivers. They would be there for a couple of hours at least, and he would then drive them home again. It all sounded reassuringly organised and he felt much happier when he hung up the phone.  
Jenny was still anxious about returning to London, but at least she could see that Jason was happier now. She wriggled closer to him on the sofa and he wrapped an arm around her, he kissed her softly on the forehead.  
“It’ll be fine, honestly” He said. Jenny wondered how he managed to know exactly what she was thinking. “We’ll get Friday night out of the way then we’ll have the rest of the weekend to ourselves”  
“Mmm, that sounds like fun” Jenny smiled cheekily “What did you have in mind?”  
“Oooh, I’m sure we’ll think of something” He grinned, sliding his hand up her thigh and giving it a squeeze, sending a small ripple of pleasure through her body. He felt her muscles contract slightly under his touch. “Nice?” He asked. His hand moved higher until he was massaging her crotch through her jeans.  
She writhed in pleasure and moaned softly. “Let’s go to bed” She whispered.

Chapter 54  
For the rest of the week Jenny went off to work each day and Jason joined her for lunch, periodically surprising her with gifts when she was least expecting it. It became something of a joke in the office, with the other girls guessing what he’d send next. There were cupcakes, flowers, jewellery and chocolates, simple romantic gestures, arriving at random times during the day, putting a smile on her face and giving the rest of the staff a giggle.  
At home they made love. Often. Life was perfect, and part of Jenny wished they could just stay there forever, but she knew she was being selfish. It was only a few weeks ago that she had been longing for news about the band, and now she was wishing she could keep him to herself and not have to share him with anyone. She was still anxious about returning to London too, despite Jason’s attempts to reassure her that he was in no danger. She knew that he had a good team looking out for him but there was still a knot in her stomach every time she thought about it.  
On Friday afternoon as they drove back up the motorway she sat lost in her own thoughts, hardly speaking for most of the journey. They had been on the road for an hour when Jason glanced over at her as he drove, he saw the concern etched on her face and reached across to squeeze her leg.  
“Hey Babe, don’t worry. It’s just a couple of hours tonight, then we have the whole weekend to enjoy” He said soothingly. “You can relax at the flat tonight and I’ll be home in time for bed”  
She smiled at his ill-disguised reference to what he had planned for them when he got home. He always seemed to be able to make her smile. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.  
“I’m fine, really. I guess I just don’t want to share you” It was only half the truth, and they both knew it, but neither of them wanted to talk about the threat that still hung over Jason like a cloud.  
Stephen had phoned earlier, just before they left the cottage. He assured Jason that although they still hadn’t any more information on where the threats were coming from, there hadn’t been anything else since the rat and everything seemed quiet at Jason’s apartment building. He would be personally responsible for getting Jason to and from the interview, and there would be a team managing crowd control outside the studios.  
It was almost dark by the time they parked the car and made their way to the front door. Jenny couldn’t help glancing around her as they walked, looking into the shadows for hidden dangers. She breathed a sigh of relief when Jason closed the front door of the building behind them. She smiled and hugged him, kissing his cheek lightly.  
In the apartment Jason spent a while deciding what to wear for the interview. He laid two pairs of trousers on the bed, one grey and one black, beside them he placed a selection of shirts.  
“You decide Jenny” He said at last “what do I wear tonight?” He would dearly have loved to turn up in jeans and a comfy sweater, but this was TV and he needed to make an effort. Jenny chose a pale blue shirt and the black trousers.  
“What about shoes?” she asked with a smile. Jason’s footwear had been a source of amusement to her for years, and the chance to tease him about it was too good to miss. “You can’t wear the Sambas with those trousers”  
“I was going to wear these” He grinned, pointing to the rather tatty grey moccasins that he had worn for the drive. “They’re dead comfy”  
“Oh, God help me” Jenny was laughing now. She pulled a pair of narrow black leather boots from the bottom of his wardrobe “How about these?”  
“They feel like my feet are in a vice” He groaned. “I can’t wear them all night”  
“OK, these then. I really like these” She held up a pair of black suede desert boots. “They’d go with the rest of the outfit”  
With his outfit decided on, Jason showered and trimmed his beard, emerging from the bathroom 15 minutes later with a towel around his hips and his wet hair falling across his face. Jenny sat on the edge of the bed and smiled. He looked so damned hot!  
“What are you grinning at?” He asked running his hand through his hair to push it out of his eyes.  
“You Jason. I’m grinning at you” Jenny crossed the room and placed both hands on his naked chest, tweaking his erect nipples playfully before kissing him. “Get some clothes on, before I lose control of myself completely” She smiled.  
“You can lose control later” He smiled “I’ll be looking forward to it” He cupped her face in his hand and kissed her cheek, before walking to the clothes laid out on the bed.  
He was just tying the laces on the boots when Stephen arrived to pick him up.  
“See you later Babe” He said, kissing her lips softly. “Keep the bed warm for me”  
Jenny held him close for a moment, not wanting to let him go.  
“Take care Jason” She murmured, as he gently pulled away from her embrace, and headed out of the door.

Chapter 55  
It was freezing outside and heavy ice cold rain lashed down. Stephen waited by the front door with a large black umbrella, holding it over Jason as he ran to the waiting black BMW. He had thrown a jacket on over the blue shirt that Jenny had picked for him, but he was still shivering as he climbed into the car. Stephen climbed into the driver’s seat and they pulled away from the kerb. They made the short drive to Howard’s London home, it was nearly 7.15pm when Stephen jumped out and hurried to his door, the door opened and Howard stood barefooted and shirtless in the doorway. Jason could see from Stephen’s body language that he wasn’t impressed, but he had to smile, Howard would be late for his own funeral he thought, he had always been the same.  
Five minutes later Howard had pulled on a black shirt, and a pair of trainers and as Stephen held the umbrella for him he ran to the car, jumping in the back beside Jason.  
“Hello mate, bloody shitty night for it” He said as he settled into his seat. “Still, bet Jenny’ll find a few ways to warm you up when you get home” He laughed and Jason had to smile.  
“You’re just jealous” He joked, as the car pulled away  
***  
Jenny poured herself a glass of wine, plugged her ipod into the dock and sat on the sofa, swinging her feet up onto the soft leather and trying to relax. She felt slightly foolish, sitting alone in Jason’s flat, listening to Take That, but she loved the music so much. There seemed to be a song for every possible emotion and situation, tonight she played The Circus, enjoying every track. When “How Did It Come To This” started playing she smiled to herself, she would never grow tired of hearing his voice. He was keeping quiet about the new album, but she hoped he would have another lead vocal, he deserved it, that soft sweet voice melted her heart every time she heard it. She closed her eyes and soaked up the sound, longing for him to be back there with her.  
***  
The BMW pulled up outside the TV studio building, Stephen had heard from the other drivers, Gary and Mark were already inside. Despite the freezing rain, blowing almost horizontally in the icy wind there was a large group of fans standing behind barriers.  
“Straight inside boys” Stephen instructed “You’re running late already”  
As Jason and Howard climbed out of the vehicle the crowd erupted in excited screams. They smiled and waved as they hurried into the building, but followed instructions and didn’t stop to sign autographs or shake hands.  
“I feel like a right bastard, not stopping” Howard said when they got inside. “They must be bloody freezing out there”  
Jason had to agree. It felt wrong to walk past and not even stop to say hello, but they were late and were already being ushered into the green room, where Gary and Mark were already waiting. 

Chapter 56  
The interview went well. The host of the show was always a good friend to the band, and they laughed and joked their way through the half hour slot. They answered questions about the new album and confirmed that a new tour would follow, which brought a huge cheer from the studio audience. The inevitable “Do What You Like” video clip was shown and they laughed at the suggestion that maybe they should do a remake, promising to keep their clothes on for their next video.  
With the interview finished, they stopped for a quick drink in the green room before preparing to head home. The security team were waiting downstairs for them, ready to escort them back to the waiting cars. When they reached the glass fronted lobby of the studio building, they could see that the freezing rain had turned to sleet. But despite the dreadful weather conditions there was still a large group of fans waiting behind the barriers outside.  
“Straight to the cars guys” Stephen instructed.  
The Gary, Mark, Howard and Jason exchanged glances, all thinking the same thing. It was Howard who spoke for all of them.  
“No way Stephen. Those poor women have been standing in the freezing cold getting soaked to the skin for hours. There’s no way we can just walk past and ignore them. It isn’t going to do any harm to spend a few minutes shaking a few hands and signing some autographs” The others nodded in agreement, ignoring their fans was not what they did and they weren’t about to start now.  
Stephen sighed, knowing when he was beaten. He wasn’t happy, meet and greets were a security nightmare. He picked up his radio to speak to the rest of the team outside, bringing them up to date with the change of plan and getting another team member to join him inside so each band member had their own escort. He could do no more.  
They left the building to a roar from the crowd, each of them sheltering under a large black umbrella, held for them by their individual security escorts. Girls and older women pressed against the barriers, leaning over with CDs and photos, waving Sharpie pens and begging for autographs. The boys made their way along the barrier, shaking hands and saying hello. There were faces they recognised in the crowd, women who had been standing out in all weathers for years to get close to their idols. They were almost back at the cars, and Jason was leaning over the barrier to sign a CD for a girl a few rows from the front of the crowd, when he heard someone calling his name. Glancing to the side he looked at the thin, hollow eyed woman who stared intently at him. It took him a moment to recognise her, she had aged so much since they had last met.  
“Stephanie?” He said in surprise “What are you doing here?”

 

Chapter 57  
She didn’t answer, she just looked him in the eyes with blind fury. Years of drug fuelled paranoia and hatred were released in that split second, as she lunged forward.  
Jason thought at first that someone had punched him in the ribs, he stumbled back, not quite able to process what was happening or where the pain was coming from. Everything happened so fast it was a blur. Stephen had dropped the umbrella he had been holding, and launched himself over the barrier, girls were screaming and scattering away from the melee. Camera flashes lit up the night, as press photographers rushed forward. What the hell just happened?  
He put his hand on the right side of his chest, wet sticky fluid oozed between his fingers, blood….he was bleeding. He was bleeding a lot! His head began to spin and his knees buckled beneath him. Howard grabbed him as he started to fall, lowering him onto the rain soaked pavement.  
***  
Stephanie didn’t move, she didn’t try to get away, she just stood and stared, a small satisfied smile spread across her face as she watch Jason fall. Even as she felt herself being grabbed, her arms twisted behind her back, handcuffs being fastened around her wrists, she stood calmly. She had done it. At last she had done it.  
***  
“Jason! Oh fuck! Jason….Somebody call a fucking ambulance!” Howard frantically ripped the scarf from around his neck, rolled it into a ball and pressed it against the red stain that was spreading across Jason’s pale shirt. “Hold on mate, you’re going to be alright. Stay with me, do you hear me Jason”  
Jason looked around, Gary and Mark had joined Howard at his side. They were all talking to him, telling him help was coming and that he would be alright. They all looked bloody terrified, Howard was crying now. This wasn’t good! Mark took off his jacket and knelt down, lifting his head and pushing the jacket under it. He though vaguely that Mark must be freezing, it was too damn cold to be outside without a jacket on.  
“I’m OK” He managed to croak “Don’t worry guys” He tried to sit up, he didn’t want all this fuss, and he really didn’t want be lying on the pavement, but the movement sent a fresh wave pain shooting through his body. Howard put a hand on his shoulder, pushing him gently back down.  
“Keep still Jason, you silly sod, don’t try to move.” He grabbed Jason’s hand squeezing it tightly.  
Breathing was becoming an effort, every breath hurt now and it was such hard work to draw air into his lungs. He thought of Jenny. She’d waiting for him at home, he was going to be late. She’d be worried. He had told her he’d be alright, he had to be alright, he had promised her.  
He could hear sirens now, in the distance at first but getting louder. He was so tired. He wanted to sleep, wanted to close his eyes, just for a little while. 

Chapter 58  
“Jason….Jason can you hear me. Open your eyes for me Jason” It was a strange voice, he didn’t recognise it. He forced himself to open his eyes, it was a huge effort. A stranger in green overalls knelt beside him “Jason, my name’s Andy, I’m a paramedic. We’re going to get you to hospital very soon, try to stay awake for me ok.” Jason wanted to stay awake but he just couldn’t find the strength, sleep was so much easier.  
Howard knelt on the cold pavement, still holding Jason’s hand tightly as he watched the paramedics put an oxygen mask over Jason’s face and slip a blood pressure cuff around his arm. They cut open the pale blue shirt and attached the leads of a heart monitor to his chest. They looked at their monitors with worried expressions. Andy seemed to be in charge, he was firing instructions at a younger man, who hurried back to the ambulance returning with a bag of saline solution. They worked quickly, getting a needle into a vein and attaching the bag of fluid.  
Next, Andy moved Howard’s blood soaked scarf to inspect the ugly, jagged gash between Jason’s ribs. Fresh blood poured from the wound, running down and mingling with the rainwater on the pavement. He placed a thick pad of white gauze over the wound and instructed his assistant to apply pressure.  
Jason drifted back into consciousness, he became aware of the activity around him, and of the pain. Every breath felt as though something was ripping his lungs out. He opened his eyes again and saw Howard, still sitting beside him. Gary and Mark were standing nearby too. He pulled the oxygen mask off of his face to speak.  
“Shit Howard” He croaked, struggling for breath “It bloody hurts”  
Howard squeezed his hand tighter and tears filled his eyes again.  
“Can’t you give him something for the pain mate?” Howard begged Andy. He couldn’t bear to see Jason like this.  
“Not yet, I’m sorry.” Andy shook his head “His breathing is already badly compromised and Morphine could make it a whole lot worse.”  
“Can you hang on for a bit longer Jason? We’re going to move you to the ambulance very soon now. Once you’re at the hospital they’ll be able to make you more comfortable” Andy spoke in a calm reassuring voice. He put the mask back over Jason’s nose and mouth “You need to keep this on, it’s really important ok”  
Jason nodded weakly, closing his eyes again. How could just breathing be so exhausting?  
Andy checked the monitors again, he wasn’t happy with what he saw. Jason’s blood pressure was dangerously low, his heart was racing to compensate, and his blood oxygen levels were dropping as his breathing became weaker. He was fighting a losing battle here, and he needed to get him to hospital fast. He sent the younger man off to fetch the stretcher from the back of the ambulance. When he returned Andy turned to Howard, Gary and Mark.  
“If you guys give us a hand we can move him across gently. Are you all ok with that?”  
“Of course” Gary spoke for all of them “Tell us what you want us to do”  
After getting everyone in position Andy knelt at Jason’s head.  
“Jason, we’re going to move you after the count of three ok. We’ll be as gentle as we can.” Looking up, he nodded at the others “One, two, three and lift”  
Jason opened his eyes and groaned in pain. Why couldn’t they just leave him alone? He wanted to swear but words seemed like too much effort. He felt straps being tightened around him, and the trolley under the stretcher jolting into position.  
“Jason we’re going to take you to the hospital now.” Andy’s voice was quiet and calm. Turning to Howard, Mark and Gary he told them which hospital, before starting to load Jason and all the monitoring equipment into the ambulance.  
Vaguely aware that he was being moved, Jason forced himself to open his eyes again, Howard was walking beside the trolley, looking down at him with red rimmed eyes.  
“Howard…..” He summoned all his strength. It was such an effort to speak now “Tell Jenny I’m sorry….. tell her I love her”  
“You can tell her yourself” Howard told Jason, gripping his hand again “You’re going to be alright. We’ll see you at the hospital mate”  
As the ambulance pulled away, blue lights flashing and siren blaring, Howard, Gary and Mark stood in stunned silence watching it disappear into the night. The police and their own security team had kept a discreet distance while the paramedics had been working, but now Stephen approached them. He was a big man, well over six foot of solid muscle, and he wasn’t given to displays of emotion, but it wasn’t hard to see that he was close to tears.  
“I’m so sorry” were the first words he said when he reached their side “I take full responsibility for this. It was my job to keep him safe.”  
“Don’t be so bloody stupid!” Gary responded. “This wasn’t your fault! You told us to go straight to the cars and we chose to ignore you…… if it’s anyone’s fault it’s ours”  
“But I was right there when it happened” Stephen argued “I was right next to him and I didn’t stop it. I didn’t even see it coming!”  
“Stephen, you’ve taken care of us for years, and you do a bloody amazing job! Nobody could have seen that coming.” Gary put a hand on Stephen’s shoulder. “Now, can you find us a couple of drivers to get us to the hospital?”  
“What about Jenny?” Howard spoke quietly “Somebody needs to tell her what’s happened.” He turned to Stephen “Can you take me to Jason’s place first, then take us both to the hospital?” 

 

Chapter 59  
Jenny had been dozing on the sofa. She woke up and stretched. Looking at her watch she realised it was getting late, Jason should be back by now. She guessed maybe the lads had decided to stop somewhere on their way home. She wandered into the bedroom and turned back the bed, smiling to herself, she hoped he wouldn’t be too long.  
The intercom buzzed as she made her way back into the living room. Who would be calling round at this time of night? Maybe Jason had forgotten his keys….  
“Hello. Who is it?” She asked through the speaker.  
“Hi Jenny, it’s Howard” She thought his voice sounded strange, croaky, as though he had a cold.  
“Hi, Come on up” She pressed the door release, wondering why on earth Howard was there, where was Jason? She opened the door to the flat just as he stepped out of the lift on the landing. He looked dreadful. He was soaking wet, his hair plastered over his face and his eyes were red and puffy. As he got closer she realised his clothes and his hands were smeared with blood.  
“Oh my God. Howard, are you alright? You’re covered in blood! Are you hurt?” She ushered him into the flat and closed the door.  
“I’m alright Jenny…..it’s not my blood” He paused, not wanting to say the words “Jenny…. It’s Jason. He’s been stabbed, they’ve taken him to the hospital”  
Jenny felt the blood drain away from her face, suddenly her knees felt weak. Howard saw her turn white, he put an arm around her, guiding her to the sofa.  
“Sit down for a minute” He said gently. She did as he said, sitting with her face buried in her hands.  
“How bad is it Howard?” She asked in a whisper “Is he going to be alright?”  
Howard wanted to say that it wasn’t bad, and that he’d be fine. He wanted more than anything for that to be true, but the image of Jason bleeding and struggling for every breath was still fresh in his mind. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he didn’t know what to say. How could he tell her he thought Jason was dying.  
“I don’t know” He said simply. “But we need to get to the hospital Jenny. Gary and Mark will be there now, they said they’d call me if they heard anything, but I think we need to be there”  
“He said he’d be safe” Jenny said quietly “He said you had great security and he’d be safe….he promised”  
“He wanted me to tell you that he’s sorry” Howard said, understanding now what Jason had meant “He said he loves you and he’s sorry”  
Jenny could no longer hold back the tears. Howard sat beside her and put his arm around her shoulders as she sobbed. He felt totally helpless, he wished he could find the right words to comfort her, but he was drowning in his own emotions and he desperately wanted to be at the hospital, he needed to know what was happening.  
Chapter 60  
In the ambulance Jason drifted in and out of consciousness. He was aware of voices, but he didn’t fully understand what they were saying. He heard Andy talking about a heamomothorax….what was that anyway, it sounded like some sort of dinosaur? They were talking about hypovolaemic shock and O2 sats and intubation. Why didn’t they speak English?  
“Jason, we’re almost at the hospital” Andy was speaking to him now, in words he understood. He wanted to open his eyes and look at him but he was too tired. Breathing was so difficult, so painful, he was too exhausted now, he couldn’t do it anymore……  
“We’re losing him!” Andy shouted through to the cab, “He’s in respiratory arrest. What’s our ETA?”  
“2 minutes” Replied the younger man, putting his foot harder on the accelerator. “I’ll radio ahead”  
Andy attached the oxygen tubing to a resuscitation bag and held the mask tightly over Jason’s nose and mouth. Turning the oxygen on full, he started squeezing the bag, forcing oxygen rich air into his lungs.  
The ambulance was met by a team of doctors and nurses who took over from Andy as they rushed the trolley into the hospital building. Andy followed, giving a detailed handover of what had happened, before leaving them to continue their efforts to keep Jason alive. He was just returning to his ambulance to help tidy it ready for their next call as a large black BMW pulled up on the yellow hatched area outside the hospital doorway. He was about to tell the driver to move it when Gary and Mark leapt out of the car. Spotting Andy they ran to him first.  
“How is he?” Gary asked anxiously “Is he ok?”  
“You’d better get inside” Andy replied. The car park wasn’t the right place to be discussing how serious things were. “He’s in the best hands now. They’ll take good care of him”  
Gary and Mark rushed into the hospital. The female receptionist recognised them and was clearly trying to maintain some level of professional composure as she directed them to the waiting area, assuring them that a doctor would speak to them as soon as there was any news.  
As they walked towards the waiting room a nurse rushed past them and through a set of double doors carrying a bag of blood. Mark glanced through the doors and stopped dead in his tracks, inside the large brightly lit room, Jason lay motionless on a trolley while a doctors and nurses rushed around him. It looked like a scene from Casualty. Mark grabbed Gary’s arm, reaching out to stop the door from swinging shut. They stood in the doorway watching the drama that was unfolding in front of them. A nurse looked up and saw them, hurrying over she tried to usher them out of the door, but they stood their ground, transfixed by the sight of Jason, clearly fighting for his life.  
A doctor was pulling on gloves and a nurse wheeled a trolley of surgical equipment to the bedside. The doctor took a scalpel and made a deep incision in Jason’s chest, he pushed a tube into the incision, it looked brutal and primitive. Blood immediately started to flow down into a container on the floor, lots of blood, surely that wasn’t good. As the flow of blood in the tubing slowed, the doctor instructed the nurse at Jason’s head to stop bagging, looking for signs that he was would start to breath for himself, now that the blood which had prevented his lungs inflating had been drained away. Mark squeezed Gary’s arm as they stood motionless, willing Jason to take a breath.

Chapter 61  
“Come on Jason, you can do this” Mark muttered under his breath “Breath for fuck sake!”  
The medical team watched anxiously, hoping that Jason’s natural breathing response would kick in. Seconds passed and their monitoring equipment showed that his oxygen levels were falling , doctor in charge was on the verge of instructing the nurse to start bagging again when finally they saw Jason’s chest rise as he took a breath.  
“OK guys. Let’s get him ready to go down to theatre” The doctor instructed “He’s breathing, but we’re only just maintaining his BP. He’s still bleeding internally somewhere and they need to get inside and stop it quickly”  
Gary and Mark watched as the team scurried around Jason’s bedside, adjusting drips and drains and raising the guard rails on the side of the bed. He might be breathing again but it didn’t take a doctor to realise that he was still not out of danger. A nurse approached them again and this time they allowed themselves to be ushered into a small waiting area. The nurse promised that the doctor would come and speak to them as soon as they had transferred Jason to theatre.  
***  
Howard and Jenny sat in silence in the back of the car as Stephen sped towards the hospital. Howard had hoped that Mark or Gary might have called to say that Jason was going to be alright, but he had heard nothing, and now his imagination was running wild. Why hadn’t they called? Jenny sat beside him, numb and silent. Howard had tried to sound positive, but she could tell by his face that he was scared. She hadn’t prayed for years but she was praying now – making every deal she could think of with God, if he’d just let Jason survive this. She couldn’t bear to think of him at the hospital, scared and in pain. She wanted to be with him, to be able to hold him and tell him everything would be alright.  
***  
Gary and Mark jumped to their feet as the doctor who had been caring for Jason in A & E came into the waiting area. He told them that Jason had now been taken theatre. He explained that he had stopped breathing because the stab wound had cut a blood vessel in his chest, filling the space around his lungs with blood so that it became impossible for his lungs to expand without help. They had put a drain into his chest to clear the blood, and he was now breathing again, but he was still bleeding into his chest cavity. He had been given fluids and a blood transfusion, but they weren’t keeping up with the rate at which he was losing blood. His condition was still critical, and they needed to operate to find the source of the bleeding and repair it.  
When the doctor had left them alone again they sat in stunned silence, each deep in their own thoughts. Neither of them could fully take in what was happening. An hour ago Jason had been laughing and chatting with them, and now he was in an operating theatre, barely clinging on to life.  
***  
Outside the hospital Stephen stopped the car. A group of reporters and photographers were hanging around by the entrance, and as soon as they spotted the car pulling up they flocked towards it.  
“Shit! Bloody vultures!” Howard muttered. Turning to Jenny he said “Just ignore them Jenny, stay close to me and we’ll get inside as quickly as we can.”  
Stephen climbed from the driver’s seat. He was on no mood for the “be nice to the press” approach tonight. He opened the back door of the car for Jenny and Howard and they were immediately blinded by dozens of camera flashes. With Stephen doing his best to push the photographers out of the way, Howard put an arm around Jenny and together they hurried towards the entrance to the building. A young reporter, clearly trying to make a name for himself, thrust a microphone in Howard’s face as they hurried passed.  
“Howard…Howard…Can you tell our readers, it true that Jason had died in the ambulance?” He asked.  
Howard was too stunned to respond. He pulled Jenny closer and shoved the reported hard with his other hand, sending him sprawling backwards across the wet car park. There was a renewed frenzy of camera flashes as the papperazzi tried to capture the moment.  
They stumbled through the doors into the relative calm of the hospital building. Tears streamed down Jenny’s face and her whole body shook, as grief totally overwhelmed her. Dead! That reported had said he was dead! 

 

Chapter 62  
“Jenny….Jenny look at me.” Howard tried to stay calm and rational “Don’t take any notice of him, Ok! He knows nothing! The stupid bastard knows nothing! Jay could be sitting up in bed chatting to Gary and Mark by now for all we know. Let’s find the others and see what’s really going on OK”  
Howard knew from bitter experience that the press, and particularly tabloid journalists, had absolutely no moral code whatsoever, and would say and do anything to get a reaction that would sell papers. Even so, he was now even more desperate to know what was happening. He was trying to hold it together and stay strong for Jenny, when inside he was in absolute turmoil. What if that reporter was right? He had seen for himself how bad things had been and he knew it could be the truth.  
Gary and Mark jumped up as the door to the waiting room opened, thinking it might be the doctor with news about Jason. Instead Howard and Jenny entered, they both looked shell shocked. Howard was still covered in blood, soaking wet and looked frankly dreadful. Jenny looked like a frightened child, trembling, wide eyed and deathly pale.  
“What’s happening?” Howard asked “Where’s Jay, is he ok?”  
“Jason’s in theatre now” Gary answered “we’re waiting for more news”  
Jenny felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from her. Jason was alive! She flung her arms around Gary and kissed his cheek. Looking over her shoulder at Howard, Gary gave him a questioning look.  
“Thank God!” Howard sank into one of the empty armchairs “Some bastard reported asked us if it was true that he’d died in the ambulance! Can you believe that!? I mean where the hell do they get this rubbish?” Mark and Gary glanced at each other, neither of them knew how to tell Jenny and Howard how close to the truth the reporter had been.  
Gary directed Jenny to the chair next to Howard, sitting her down, he knelt on the floor in front of them and held Jenny’s hands. Taking a deep breath he explained what the doctor had told them. Mark sat himself next to Howard and put an arm around his shoulders. Tears ran down Jenny’s face and Howard sat in stunned silence, as Gary told them how close they had come to losing Jason in the ambulance and how the A&E staff had managed to get him back from the brink, before transferring him to the operating theatre, where at that moment, the doctors were fighting to save his life.  
Jenny couldn’t think straight, this couldn’t be happening. She felt as though she was on a hideous emotional white knuckle ride, first the devastation of thinking Jason could be dead, then the relief to hear he was alive and now the dreadful uncertainty of not knowing if he’d survive the surgery. The last time she had seen Jason, only a few hours ago, he had been joking with her about keeping the bed warm for him and smiling that beautiful, sexy smile. She simply couldn’t cope with the thought that she might never see him alive again.  
She pulled her hands away from Gary and jumped up from the chair. She had to find out what was happening, she couldn’t just sit there not knowing. She had to find someone who could tell her what was going on. She was out of the door and running down the corridor before anyone could stop her. But once she was outside the waiting room, she realised she had no idea where she was going. She reached a junction and stood looking down each of the possible corridors, where was he? Which way should she go? She stood for a few seconds, lost and bewildered. Then, overwhelmed by a sense of total helplessness she leaned against the wall and slid down. She sat on the cold floor and buried her head in her hands. She had no idea how long she had been there when she felt an arm around her shoulder and heard Howard’s voice, speaking gently.  
“Jenny, come back to the waiting room. They’ll come and find us as soon as there’s any news” He slipped his arm around her waist and helped her to her feet. She didn’t resist, she didn’t have the strength.  
“What if he doesn’t make it Howard?” Jenny said as they walked back to find Gary and Mark.  
“Hey, you can’t think like that” Howard stopped walking and stood facing her, lifting her chin to look into her eyes “Jason’s the fittest, healthiest guy I know! If anyone can survive this, he can. And anyway, he’s such a stubborn bugger he won’t give up without one hell of a fight!”  
Jenny smiled a small sad smile, thinking of Jason’s daily yoga workout and slightly bizarre eating habits. Howard was right, he’d spent years treating his body like a temple, now only time would tell if it had been worth the effort.

Chapter 63  
Jason opened his eyes. Bright lights blinded him. He closed them again. He tried to focus his mind, to remember where he was and why he felt like shit. Gradually the horror of what had happened came back to him. He must be alive then, that was unexpected. The last thing he remembered properly was being in the ambulance and knowing, with a fair degree of certainty, that he was going to die. He could breathe now too and that was a definite improvement, although his chest still hurt like hell, it felt as though he’d been given a good kicking. He felt incredibly weak and tired, and his head felt as though it was full of cotton wool, making thinking hard work. Perhaps he’d just go back to sleep for a while….  
It was 3.30am when a doctor finally entered the waiting room, where Gary, Mark, Howard and Jenny sat anxiously waiting. They all sprang to their feet as he walked in, desperate for news.  
“I’m Peter Thomas, the cardio-thoracic consultant” The doctor introduced himself before continuing. “Mr Orange’s surgery went well, we managed to locate the source of the bleeding and repair the damaged blood vessel. He’s in recovery at the moment, but we’ll be moving him to the High Dependency Unit soon. You’ll be able to see him then, but just for a few minutes. What he needs now is rest.”  
“Is he going to be OK?” Jenny asked her voice scarcely more than a whisper.  
“The next few days will be critical.” The surgeon replied earnestly. “As I said, the surgery was successful, but it was a major operation, there is still a risk of complications. He’ll be closely monitored until we are quite sure he’s out of danger”  
Looking at Howard, who was still wearing the blood stained jeans and shirt from the previous evening, the doctor suggested that he might like to change into some clean clothes and offered to find him a set of scrubs. Howard accepted gratefully, he would have loved a shower too, his shirt was clinging to his body and felt sticky with the dry blood that had soaked into it. The doctor left them alone again, promising that a nurse would come and get them when Jason was ready for them to see him.  
A few minutes later a porter arrived with a set of faded theatre scrubs. Howard thanked him and made the others promise to wait for him, as he went in search of a washroom. Finding a gent’s toilet at the end of the corridor he stood at the washbasin and peeled off his blood soaked shirt. He ran water into the basin and used paper hand towels of wash away the worst of Jason’s blood from his skin, watching the water in the basin turn pink as he scrubbed his hands under the taps. He pulled on the green cotton top and stripped off his jeans, replacing them with the loose fitting trousers. He couldn’t help smiling at his reflection in the mirror. What did he look like? He drained the blood stained water from the sink and quickly rinsed his face before heading back to find the others.  
The atmosphere in the waiting room was much lighter now, and Gary and Mark made jokes about his new outfit. Even Jenny had to laugh at him, the trousers were a couple of inches too short and his dark socks and trainers looked faintly ridiculous poking out from under the glorified pyjama bottoms. Howard had been back for a couple of minutes when a young nurse came to take them to see Jason.  
Chapter 64  
They followed her along a seemingly endless maze of corridors until they reached a set of double doors. Jenny could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She was desperate to see Jason, but terrified at the same time of what they would find. They entered the High Dependency Unit where six beds were arranged around the walls with a central nurse’s station which allowed staff to monitor each patient 24 hours a day. On the far side of the room, Jason lay sleeping.  
“Just five minutes” The nurse reminded them quietly. “He needs to rest”  
As they approached his bedside Jenny felt a lump in her throat, and tears pricked her eyes. She had promised herself that she would stay strong for him, but he looked so pale and ill. Oxygen was being delivered through plastic tubes in his nostrils, a bag of blood was running through a line into his arm, and a drainage tube carried blood stained fluid from his chest into a bottle on the side of the bed. There were heart monitor leads on his chest, a blood pressure cuff on his arm, and a clip attached to one of his fingers to measure his oxygen levels. He was propped up in a semi sitting position, blankets covered him from the waist down, but his chest was exposed and a long white dressing ran the whole depth of his ribcage, another smaller dressing covered the original stab wound between his ribs.  
Gary, Mark and Howard hung back a little as she cautiously reached out a hand. She was almost afraid to touch him, he looked so fragile. Gently she held his hand.  
“Hi Jason” She said quietly “it’s me, Jenny”  
“Hi babe” He whispered hoarsely, squeezing her hand. He opened his eyes and smiled weakly.  
That was it. All the emotions of the last few hours swept over her and tears streamed down her face. Lifting his hand to her lips she kissed it softly. Howard, Mark and Gary came to her side and Howard put a hand on her shoulder.  
“Hello mate, how are you feeling” Howard said, trying to sound upbeat “Don’t you ever bloody scare us like that again!”  
“Sorry guys” was all Jason could manage. He was pleased to see them there, especially Jenny, but conversation was beyond him. He closed his eyes again, just wanting to go back to sleep. He was still groggy from the anaesthetic and he was pumped full of morphine now, to keep him comfortable after the surgery.  
A young looking nurse came to check the monitors and to check Jason’s drip. When she had finished she turned to Jenny and the boys.  
“Why don’t you all go and get some sleep now?” She said kindly “We’ll be keeping a close eye on Jason and what he really needs now is rest. Come back later today when he’s come round from the anaesthetic properly”  
When she had gone back to the nurse’s station Gary turned to the others  
“She’s probably right. We should go and sleep for a few hours, now we know Jay’s ok. Let’s go home for a while and come back later today.”  
Mark nodded in agreement, they were all exhausted both physically and emotionally. It was now nearly 5am and none of them had slept all night. Maybe later in the day Jason would feel more up to having visitors.  
“Howard? Jenny? Are you going to get some sleep?” Mark asked, knowing that they would both be reluctant to leave the hospital “You’ll be no good to Jason if you’re exhausted yourselves.”  
“I guess so.” Howard didn’t want to go, but he knew Gary and Mark were right. He had been running on pure nervous energy and adrenaline all night, but now that they knew Jason was out of immediate danger, he felt totally drained. He knew he’d be no good to Jason or anyone else if he didn’t get at least a couple of hours sleep.  
The three men looked at Jenny, who stood silently, gazing at Jason, still holding his hand.  
“Jenny?” Mark said again “Are you coming? You need to get some rest too, it’s been a long night”  
Jenny shook her head, she couldn’t leave him, not now. She wanted to be there when he woke again.  
“I’m staying” She said simply. She hated the thought that Jason might wake in this strange hi tech room, with all the drips and drains and equipment and be alone.  
“Jenny, please. You’re exhausted, go and get some sleep, just for a couple of hours” Mark pleaded, but he had a feeling he wasn’t going to win this one. She shook her head again.  
“No, you guys go. I’ll stay here. Perhaps when you get back I’ll go for a while. I don’t want to leave him” Jenny wasn’t going to change her mind  
The others tried to persuade her too, but it was no good. Eventually they gave up, but as they left the ward Howard stopped at the nurse’s station and talked the young nurse looking after Jason into finding an armchair for Jenny. He hoped maybe she would sleep for a while there at least.

Chapter 65  
Jenny gratefully accepted the armchair when it was wheeled to the bedside. Mark was right, she was exhausted, but there was no way she could leave Jason now. She sat holding his hand, watching him breathing and listening to the reassuring bleep of the heart monitor beside the bed. The young nurse, who’s name badge identified her as Sophie, came to the bedside every half hour to check on the monitors, drips and drains. Eventually Jenny gave in to the overwhelming tiredness. She folded her arms on the side of the bed and rested her head on them, drifting off to sleep.  
She had been sleeping for nearly an hour when Jason opened his eyes again. He felt less groggy now and gradually began to make sense of his surroundings. He saw Jenny, asleep beside him, and wondered how long she had been there, he tried to work out how long he had been asleep, but he had no idea what time it was. The pain in his chest was worse now and he felt a sudden need to cough, shit, this wasn’t going to be good! He tried to suppress the urge, adjusting his breathing to ward off the feeling, but it was no good.  
His coughing brought Sophie scurrying to the bedside. Jenny woke with a start at the sound of him struggling to catch his breath. Jumping up quickly, she looked helplessly from Jason’s agonised expression to Sophie. She held his hand tightly, until the coughing fit passed and he fell back against his pillows gasping for breath.  
“It’s ok Jason, just breathe sweetheart” Jenny stroked his hair until his breathing returned to normal. She brushed away a tear that slid down her face. Seeing him sick and in pain was tearing her apart. Jason reached out a hand to her, and she held it in both of hers, kissing his knuckles softly.  
“Feeling better now?” She asked when he had settled again.  
“Mmm, yes thanks” He managed a smile. He hated her having to see him like this, he didn’t want her to worry about him.  
Sophie returned a few minutes with a morphine injection, which Jason gratefully accepted. He managed to stay awake and to talk to Jenny for a while, but he quickly became exhausted again. Jenny was still holding his hand and it felt good to know she was there as he drifted back to sleep.  
He was still sleeping when Howard came back, early in the afternoon. He had managed to get a few hours rest, and now he had showered and changed he felt almost human again. He sighed when he walked in and saw Jenny still sitting by Jason’s bed.  
“Hi Jenny” He said quietly when he reached the bedside. “You’re still here then, you must be knackered! Has he woken up again yet?” He gave Jenny a hug, kissing her on the cheek.  
She gave him a brief summary of what had been happening while he was gone. When she had finished talking she tried to stifle a yawn and failed. Howard squeezed her shoulder gently.  
“Why don’t you go and get some sleep now? Gary and Mark will be back soon, we’ll keep him company for a while, you can’t stay here forever.”  
“I’m OK, honestly Howard. I slept here for a while earlier”  
“Jenny… Howard’s right.” Jason had been aware of them talking, and now he opened his eyes again and squeezed her hand. “Go and get some rest Babe. Please.”  
Jenny smiled at him, it was good to hear his voice again. He sounded more like himself somehow, even though he still looked so ill.  
“Are you two ganging up on me?” She said, leaning over and kissing his forehead. “Anyone would think you were trying to get rid of me!” She had to admit that she was exhausted, and now that Jason was awake again, and Howard was there to keep him company, she felt a little better about leaving him for a while.  
Having persuaded her to go, Howard called one of the security team to pick her up. There had been dozens of reporters and a growing number of fans outside the hospital when he had got back and he wanted to make sure Jenny had someone to get her past the chaos and make sure she made it back to Jason’s flat safely. The driver came to the ward to collect her and escort her to the waiting car outside, which he had parked outside a service door where there were no onlookers waiting. Jenny climbed into the back of the car, sank into the leather upholstery and sighed. It was hard to believe that twenty four hours ago, she and Jason had been happy, looking forward to a weekend together. How could so much change in just one day?

Chapter 66  
Closing the door of Jason’s apartment, Jenny closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply, she was utterly exhausted and she knew she needed to sleep, but somehow she still felt guilty for leaving him. When she walked into the bedroom, she found the bed turned back, as she had left it the night before, when she was waiting for him to come home and make love to her. She undressed and pulled on one of Jason’s tee shirts, then, picking up his sweater, which was lying on a chair, she lay down on the bed, hugging the soft woollen garment to her chest. Tears fell again, as she thought about how close she had come to losing him. Within minutes she had cried herself to sleep.  
While Jenny slept, Howard was joined by Gary and Mark at the hospital. A policeman came to take statements and they each recounted their memories of the attack. It had happened so fast that none of them could really offer much information. Even Howard, who had been closest to Jason when Stephanie had lunged at him with the knife, couldn’t give much detail. One minute Jason had been leaning across the barrier to sign autographs, the next he was collapsing onto the ground bleeding. The officer wanted Jason to give a statement too, but after just a few minutes, the effort of talking sent him into another coughing fit, and after watching helplessly as he struggled painfully for breath, Howard, Gary and Mark insisted that the questions could wait until later.  
Jason managed to chat for a little longer, but the others soon began to realise how much of an effort it was for him. Talking for more than a minute or two would bring on more coughing and although he was putting on a brave face, they decided that it was time to leave him to rest. Making their excuses, they left for the night, promising to come back the next day. When they had gone Jason breathed a sigh of relief. He was grateful that they had visited, but he had spent the last hour trying to disguise the fact that he was exhausted and in pain and all he wanted was to sleep. Now he was alone, and didn’t feel the need to pretend, he buzzed his nurse – Sophie had been replaced by Melanie – to ask for more pain relief. Within a few minutes breathing became tolerable again and he drifted off to sleep.  
He was walking with Jenny, they were on a perfect, white, sandy beach in the sunshine. It was hot and Jenny wanted to swim, the sea was crystal clear and she ran laughing into the cool water. He followed her and they swam together farther and farther out to sea. It was getting rough, waves began breaking around them and they were separated, he was calling her name but she couldn’t hear him over the sound of the sea. Where was she? He was frantic now diving under the waves, but she was gone, and now the waves were huge crashing over him and dragging him down into the deep water. He was drowning, fighting to get back to the surface, he needed to breathe.  
“Jason….Jason….. Wake up, you’re safe Jason” Melanie was at the bedside in seconds. His thrashing around had pulled the cannula from his hand and the heart monitor showed his pulse was racing. He woke with a start, coughing again and struggling for breath, it took him a moment to make sense of his surroundings. Melanie talked quietly and calmly, encouraging him to relax and concentrate on his breathing. As the coughing subsided, he sank back onto the pillows and forced himself to relax, years of yoga coming into play as he inhaled and exhaled deeply, it wasn’t comfortable but it felt better than the ragged gasping. Melanie quietly resited his drip and rearranged his pillows, before returning to the nurse’s station, leaving him to settle back into a restless sleep.

Chapter 67  
While Jason spent the night sleeping fitfully, plagued by vivid dreams, Jenny lay in his bed wishing he was there with her. She slept for a few hours but woke in the early hours, still clutching his sweater to her chest. She climbed out of bed and slipped his soft bathrobe on, wrapping it around her and savouring his scent on it. She wanted to go back to the hospital and be near him, but instead she made herself a drink, taking it back to bed where she sat sipping the steaming liquid, waiting for morning.  
When daylight finally began to filter through the window she showered and dressed and then phoned the hospital to see how he was. The staff had changed over again and Sophie was back, she told Jenny that Jason had had a restless night, but that he was comfortable now and that visiting hours started at 10am. Putting the phone down she looked at her watch, it was only 8.30. She just wanted to be with him, nothing else mattered anymore.  
She started wandering around the flat, packing a bag for Jason, trying to think what he might need while he was in hospital. She found his iPod and a selection of toiletries and was trying to decide what else to take when her mobile phone buzzed in her pocket. It was Howard.  
“Hi Jenny” He began “I thought I’d call and see when you’re planning to visit Jay. I’ll get Stephen to come and pick you up. Mark, Gary and me are going to do a press conference today, the rumour mongers are in full swing so we need to make some sort of statement. We won’t be there until later so you two can have some time to yourselves.”  
She thanked Howard for thinking of her and told him she wanted to get to the hospital when visiting started. She had planned to get a taxi to the hospital, but she had begun to realise that having one of the security team as an escort made it so much easier to get past the press and the fans. How her life had changed in the past few weeks. Not long ago she would have been frantically reading news reports about Jason, she might even have been one of the group of fans outside the hospital. Now she was part of the stories, it was her that the press wanted to talk to and photograph. It was all too bizarre.  
Her phone rang again a few minutes later. This time it was Sue from work, she had seen TV reports the previous day, and this morning all the tabloids had the stabbing as headline news and contained pictures of Jason slumped on the pavement in Howard’s arms. The reports all described the incident in typically dramatic tabloid style, but all reported that Jason was “fighting for his life”. Sue wanted to check that Jenny was alright, but also to find out the truth about Jason, everyone in the office had developed a soft spot for him over the last week when he had been so sweet, charming and romantic. Jenny told her the whole horrific story. Talking about it brought all the feelings of fear and helplessness from the previous day flooding back, and she found herself sobbing down the phone. Sue offered a listening ear and when Jenny had finished talking she asked her to pass on her best wishes to Jason and made Jenny promise to keep her informed. Jenny gratefully accepted Sue’s offer of a week’s compassionate leave. There was no way she could have left Jason and gone back to work anyway, so having approval for taking time off meant one less thing to worry about.  
Stephen arrived to pick her up as planned, and once again, when they reached the hospital he found a service entrance, which avoided the crowd of fans and photographers outside the main entrance. Jenny slipped quietly into the High Dependency Unit and found Jason was sitting up in bed. He was still pale and still attached to drips, drains and monitors, but at least he was awake this morning. When he saw her he smiled. It was so good to see that smile again!  
“Hi Babe” He said as she reached his bedside, “How are you doing?”  
Jenny had to smile. “How am I doing? It’s not me that scared the living crap out of everyone yesterday!” She cupped his face in her hand and kissed him softly on the lips. “How are you feeling today? Are they keeping you comfortable?”  
“I’m ok thanks. Better than yesterday….. Yesterday was pretty shitty” He gave her lopsided smile “I’m sorry I scared you” He reached out and held her hand, pulling her forward so that he could kiss her. “Thank you for being here.”  
Jenny pulled up a plastic chair and sat beside the bed. She held his hand and looked him in the eyes. For all his smiles and assurances that he felt better, she could see he was still feeling awful and there was a haunted look in his eyes.  
“Jason, if you want to talk about what happened, you know you can tell me don’t you? Please don’t think you have to keep it to yourself.” Jenny lifted his hand and kissed his knuckles.  
“Thanks Jenny…. Maybe sometime. But to be honest, I haven’t got my head round it myself yet. It happened so fast, it all feels like a bit of a blur…..maybe I need to talk to the guys, you know, fill in the blanks a bit…..” His voice tailed off. He had tried to piece together what had happened, in the night when he’d been lying awake, but there were gaps in his memory and it was driving him crazy not knowing exactly what had happened. 

 

Chapter 68  
While Jenny sat at Jason’s bedside Sophie returned to take down the IV fluids and take away the heart monitor, she also removed the oxygen tubing from his nose. She told them that he seemed to be stable and doing well, but that he would be monitored every hour, and that he might find that he needed the oxygen again if he became short of breath. She also said that she would be back shortly to get him out of bed and into a chair, and did he need to borrow some hospital pyjama bottoms to wear? The look of distain on his face made Jenny laugh, and she was almost tempted not to tell him that she had brought him some boxers, sweat pants and tee shirts, but that seemed a bit too mean.  
“It’s okay” She giggled, taking pity on him “I’ve brought some clothes in for you”  
“Thank God for that!” Jason said with a wry grin “Can you imagine Howard’s face if he walked in and I was sat there in a pair of stripy PJs! I’d never live it down!”  
Sophie offered to help him get dressed, but Jenny could see by the expression on his face that despite everything, he still wanted to maintain some level of dignity.  
“It’s ok, I’ll help him” She smiled.  
“That’s fine, just give me a call if you need anything” Sophie said “I’ll put the curtain round for you”  
“Thank you” Jason sighed with relief when she had gone. “I know she’s a nurse, and I know she’s seen it all before but I’d still rather have you help me”  
“I’ll do my best” Jenny said, as she unpacked the clothes from the holdall she had brought from his flat. “I’m just afraid that I’m going to hurt you.” He still looked so vulnerable, and although the drip and monitor were gone, there was still a drain tube coming from his chest and the white dressings were spotted with blood.  
“It’ll be fine” Jason reassured her “We can do this. Where do you want to start?”  
“Trousers first, let’s at least make sure you’re decent – we don’t want you scaring the other patients do we?”  
Pulling back the blanket Jenny couldn’t help laughing. He was wearing boxers and a pair of white, knee high compression socks.  
“Now this…” she giggled “This, the other guys would pay money to see!” She leaned over and planted a kiss on his lips “I’m sorry, but you have to admit they are really not the most sexy garment ever invented are they!”  
“If you’re going to take the piss, I might have to get Sophie back to help me!” Jason said with mock indignation. He started to laugh, but immediately tried to stop the giggles “Oh shit! Don’t make me laugh Jenny, it bloody hurts”  
“Oh God, I’m sorry Jason!” Jenny was suddenly serious again, she couldn’t bear seeing him in pain. “Are you alright? Do you need more painkillers?”  
“No… no I’m fine. Just give me a minute.” He took a few breaths and Jenny watched in relief as the tension left his face. “OK, let’s get these clothes on then” He said after a while.  
Jenny felt almost embarrassed as she helped him out of the boxers he was wearing. This felt very different from the sexual excitement she was used to when she undressed him. He lifted his hips slightly from the bed to help her, but as she looked up at him she could see even that small movement was an effort. She slipped the clean boxers over his feet and eased them up his legs, he winced as he shifted his weight again so she could pull them up fully.  
“Are you ok?” She asked, pausing before she started to help him with the sweat pants “Do you need a break for a minute?”  
“No, I’m fine.” He assured her. Then reaching out, he took her hand and pulled her towards him, kissing her on the lips and running his hand through her hair. It wasn’t a sexual, passionate kiss, but a tender, loving one, his tongue gently probed her mouth for a few seconds before he released her again.  
“I love you Jenny” He whispered as their lips separated.  
“I love you too” She breathed, running her hand gently down his stubbly cheek. “Are you ready for round two?”  
Between them they managed to get the sweat pants on without too much difficulty. Somehow, just putting his own clothes on again made Jason look and feel a little more like himself. Picking up his tee shirt, Jenny looked at the chest drain and dressings and hesitated, unsure how they were going to manage the next stage of operation “get Jason decent”. She thought about the logistics for a moment.  
It was a struggle. Lifting his arms was almost impossible, so they managed to manoeuvre both arms through the sleeves before pulling the deep V neck over his head.  
“You’re going to have to sit forward so we can pull this down properly” Jenny said, when they had got the front of the shirt halfway down his chest. “Can you manage that, if I help you?”  
Jason nodded, took a deep breath and reached out to hold Jenny’s arm. He pulled himself forward, just managing to get far enough off of the pillow for Jenny to drag his shirt down his back. The effort was enough to leave him gasping for breath, but at least he was now fully dressed for the first time, that was progress.  
Chapter 69  
When Sophie returned a little later, with another nurse, to help Jason out of bed, he persuaded Jenny to go and find some bottles of mineral water for him. He had realised while they were trying to get him into his clothes that actually getting out of bed was not going to be pretty, and he didn’t want her around to see him struggling.  
Jenny wasn’t stupid, she knew exactly why he had sent her off on an errand. She found a vending machine a little way along the corridor and bought 2 bottles of mineral water, then found a seat and waited for a few minutes before going back to the ward. She peeped around the door of the ward to see if the curtains were still around Jason’s bed, but he was already sitting in an armchair. The oxygen was back and he looked exhausted but it was another small step forward.  
“Hey…look at you!” She smiled as she reached him. “You’ll be back to the yoga before you know it!”  
Jason gave her a smile, but just at that moment he felt as though any sort of return to his normal life was a very long way away. How the hell could just getting out of bed be so difficult! He hated feeling so helpless. The smallest thing seemed like a huge effort, and despite Sophie’s assurance that he was doing well considering the extent of the surgery he had been through, he was still angry with himself for not being able to do more.  
By the time Howard arrived an hour later, Jason was dying to go back to bed, but was determined to push himself to sit up for at least a little longer. Gary and Mark had gone to speak to the record company about delaying the album, so Howard had come alone. He told them about the press conference, and joked about the stupidity of tabloid journalists. His wicked sense of humour was a welcome diversion, but laughing was almost as bad as coughing, and Jason alternately giggled, swore and begged Howard to stop with the jokes. Jenny shot Howard a look that said enough was enough, it was good to see the two of them having fun, but he didn’t seem to be getting the fact that Jason was actually in pain.  
“Sorry Jay, laughing not so good then?” Howard said when he caught Jenny’s pleading look. He changed the subject and they settled into a light hearted discussion about the relative merits of their respective cars. Jason pleaded the case for his beloved Mercedes, while Howard argued that his R8 was faster, more reliable and altogether sexier. Jenny sat listening to the two of them and thinking that they sounded more little a pair of little boys than grown men. Maybe it was true that boys never grow up, it was just that their toys got more expensive.  
Eventually Jason was forced to concede defeat and ask to go back to bed. Howard and Jenny decided that he needed a proper rest and made their excuses, promising to come back later. Howard offered to give Jenny a lift back to the flat, which she gratefully accepted. Before she left, Jason took her hand, pulling her to him so he could kiss her tenderly on the lips, she responded to the gentle probing of his tongue, parting her lips to allow him to explore her mouth, the kiss was brief, but it felt so good. When their lips parted he cupped her face in his hand and stroked her cheek with his thumb. Jenny felt tears prick her eyes, he was just so perfect! Even sick and exhausted he still managed to be the most loving, gentle man she had ever known.  
“Hey…don’t cry babe” Jason wiped away a tear from her cheek “I’ll see you later ok. I love you.”  
“I’m sorry” She stood up and forced a smile “I’m just tired that’s all. I love you too.” She stroked a stray strand of hair off of his face and kissed him again.  
“Oh God! Get a room you two” They had almost forgotten that Howard was there, waiting to take Jenny home. Once again his down to earth attitude lightened the moment. They both grinned, and with a final quick kiss Jenny said goodbye and left him with his nurses to get back into bed.

Chapter 70  
When Jenny arrived at the hospital the following day Jason was sitting up in bed surrounded by a sea of letters and cards. He looked up as she entered the ward and smiled broadly – God how she loved to see that smile!  
“Hi” She smiled, kissing him on the lips. He reached out his left arm and ran his fingers through her hair and down to the back of her neck, holding her close and returning her kiss with enthusiasm.  
“Mmm….feeling better today?” She said as their lips parted.  
“Yeah, thanks. In fact if I keep completely still and don’t cough or laugh then I’m absolutely fine” He gave her a wry smile. “I’ve just been reading some of these get well cards – people are so kind”  
“That’s because they love you Jason!” She kissed him again “…but not as much as I do!”  
They sat looking through the mountain of cards until a nurse they hadn’t seen before arrived at the bedside to encourage Jason to get out of bed for a while.  
“Do you know what I’d really love” Jason said, smiling. “I’d love a shower – do you think that would be ok?” The young nurse looked doubtful.  
“I don’t know that that’s a good idea” She said “It’s very early days.”  
“Look” He said “The doctor told me I need to move as much as possible to avoid complications. So surely standing in a shower for a few minutes wouldn’t hurt. I’ll be fine and Jenny will help me ….. Won’t you babe?” He looked imploringly at Jenny, he was desperate to restore some sort of normality to his situation. The felt stronger than the previous day, and his pain was better while he was sitting still, so he reasoned that moving should be easier too. The nurse looked at Jenny, who nodded with a smile.  
“OK, but one step at a time, let’s get you into a wheelchair first, then we’ll see how steady you are on your feet. How does that sound?” She waited for a nod from Jason before disappearing off the ward and returning a few minutes later with a wheelchair and some large paper packages of clear plastic dressings.  
“Let’s get some waterproof dressings on you first then. We don’t want you getting those wounds wet just yet. Can you slip that t shirt off for me?” She said as she pulled the curtains around his bed.  
Jason started to try to get the shirt off for himself, but it was impossible. Jenny stepped in and helped ease it over his head so that waterproof dressing could be added to those already covering his wounds. When the nurse was satisfied that they would stay dry she pushed the wheelchair closer to the bed. Jason was determined to do this…. He eased one leg then the other over the side of the bed, gritting his teeth as the nurse helped him to sit upright. He sat for a moment, getting his breath back.  
“OK, let’s do this” He said with determination. With Jenny on one side and the nurse on the other he slowly stood up. It was bloody hard work, and he felt as though he still had a knife in his chest, but he wasn’t about to admit that. “There” He said, through gritted teeth. “Now can I please have that shower?” 

Chapter 71  
Jenny gathered clean clothes, toiletries and towels and followed after Jason as the nurse wheeled him to the shower room. Once inside Jason told the young nurse that they would manage and she reluctantly left them alone, insisting that they use the emergency buzzer if they had any problems. When they were alone he gave Jenny a wicked grin.  
“Plenty of room for two in here then” He said looking around the wet room. “Are you going to join me?”  
“Jason….I can’t, not here, we’re in a hospital! What if I need that nurse to come back and I’m stark naked in here with you?!” But Jenny was giggling like a naughty schoolgirl at the idea. And anyway, she reasoned, she was bound to get soaked if she tried to help him when she was dressed.  
“You know you want to” He teased “Come here” He took her hand and pulled her toward him until she stood in front of him as he sat in the wheelchair. He couldn’t reach upwards so instead he unbuttoned her jeans, looking into her eyes and smiling as he slowly unzipped them. “You wouldn’t deny a man in pain a little simple pleasure would you?”  
“Now, since you put it like that…. How could I possible say no?” She pulled her sweater off over her head and allowed the jeans to fall to the floor, stepping out of them and folding them and the sweater before putting them on a shelf near the door. Dressed only in her lace underwear Jenny looked at Jason doubtfully. “Are you really going to be able to stand up for long enough Jay?” She asked quietly, stroking his hair and planting a gently kiss on his stubbly face. The idea of sharing a shower was so appealing, but the reality was that he was still struggling with even the smallest things.  
“I’ll be fine, honestly” He replied “I’m fine once I’m upright, it’s moving that the problem….I’m not up for hot sex just yet, but I reckon a little TLC from the woman I love is just what I need”  
How could she resist? Jenny assembled toiletries and turned on the shower before slipping off her knickers and bra. Jason wolf whistled through his teeth and grinned at her as she approached him.  
“Come on then tiger” She smiled. “We need to get you up first”  
Using his left arm to push himself up from the wheelchair, and with Jenny’s arm around his back he managed to stand up. Then, he supported himself with his hand on Jenny’s shoulder, as she dragged his sweat pants and boxers down, until he was able to step out of them. Jenny looked at him and burst into laughter, he stood there stark naked except for the super sexy white knee high stockings.  
“Oi! Don’t mock the afflicted!” He pouted, “Help me get the bloody things off!” He transferred his grip from her shoulder to the washbasin so that she could kneel in front of him and help him out of the offending stockings. She thought briefly about making the most of the position she found herself in, but quickly decided that it really wouldn’t be fair…. Not just yet!  
Moments later they were standing together under the cascading water as Jenny gently massaged his body with shower gel. Bruising covered the right side of his torso and she was almost afraid to touch him. Her hands skimmed softly over the bruises, but in spite of her attempts to be gentle, still she felt his body tense under her touch.  
“Oh Jason” She murmured, standing on her toes to kiss him softly “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you”  
“It’s fine Jenny. I’m fine. Really I am. It’s not you, it’s just that everything still hurts just now, but this is heaven, honestly! It feels so good to be here with you.” Jason slid his hand down her back and caressed her buttock “There’s only one thing I’d rather be doing right now, but I think that might have to wait for a week or two” He winked and smiled at her.

Chapter 72  
3 weeks later  
Pushing open the door of the apartment Jenny stood aside to allow him through. The doctors had been amazed by the speed of Jason’s recovery. After 5 days on the High Dependency Unit and another couple of weeks in a private rehab clinic, where physiotherapists had been on hand to get him almost fully mobile and breathing normally, they proclaimed him fit for discharge and sent him on his way. He was still feeling the effects of Stephanie’s vicious attack, but his determination, and stubborn refusal to give in to the constant discomfort, meant that he was now able to manage most day to day tasks for himself. The doctors hard warned him that it could take several more weeks to get back to normal. Four ribs had been broken during the life saving surgery, and would take time to heal fully, and he was still at risk of developing chest infections unless he kept up the breathing exercises that the physios had shown him.  
Jenny had made the decision to give up her job back home and to stay in London to be with Jason. She knew he would need help at home initially and everything that had happened had made her realise, more than ever that she couldn’t bear to be away from him. Jason had mixed feelings when Jenny first suggested the idea. He loved the thought of her being there, but he knew how much she had wanted to remain independent, he didn’t want to be a burden, or for her to end up resenting him. It had taken her a while to convince him that it really was what she wanted, she would look after him for as long as he needed and then find a job in London so they could stay close.  
“Home sweet home” Jenny smiled as she put his bag down in the bedroom. Turning to face him, she reached up to his face, cupping his square jaw in her hands and kissing him softly on the lips. He responded to her kiss, his tongue probing her mouth and his hands sliding under her clothes to glide across the soft skin of her back.  
“It feels so good to be alone with you!” Jason murmured as he nibbled gently on her ear, his hands continuing to trace patterns on her skin. His touch sent ripples of excitement through her body and their lips met again with increasing urgency. His hands moved to her hips, pulling her towards him until she felt him hard against her thigh. It felt so good, but Jenny pulled away slightly, looking into his eyes.  
“Jason, are you sure you want this now? Will you be ok?”  
“It’s the only thing I want right now” He replied “We just need to be creative” He smiled seductively and winked at her.  
How could she resist? She began unbuttoning his shirt, the bruises were fading now, but the scars were still fresh, and provided a stark reminder of what Jason had been through over the past few weeks. His shirt fell away, and she kissed his collar bone as she began to unfasten the belt that held his faded jeans on his hips. Jason moaned softly as his jeans dropped to the floor, the fabric of his boxers stretched tightly over his erection. She pulled her sweater off over her head and tossed it aside as Jason unbuttoned her jeans, pulling them down over her thighs and sliding his hands inside her knickers to fondle her buttocks. Jenny wriggled out of the tight jeans and kicked them away, before unfastening her bra and allowing it to fall to the floor. She softly ran her fingers down his chest, and lower to his flat stomach, following his happy trail until they reached the top of his boxers. Hooking her fingers inside, she pulled them down releasing him from their constraint.  
Jason led her to the bed and sat on the edge with Jenny standing in front of him, she was breathless with anticipation now. He kissed her stomach, his tongue flicking around her belly button as he slowly dragged her flimsy lace knickers down her legs. His hands brushed softly over her buttocks and down her thighs, sending a ripple of excitement through her body even before they began teasing and exciting her in all the right places. Releasing her briefly, Jason manoeuvred himself on to the bed, wincing slightly as his healing ribs reminded him to take things slowly. He reached out and took Jenny’s hand, pulling her towards him. Sitting astride his legs, Jenny supported her weight with her hands on the bed as she leaned forward to kiss his chest once again, nibbling on his erect nipples as he twisted his hands through her hair. Slowly her kisses moved south, and he moaned in pleasure as her tongue reached his already throbbing erection, licking and teasing.  
“Oh God, Jenny” He breathed, as she continued to excite him. “That feels so good!”  
He was on the brink when she pulled away. She needed to feel him inside her again, it had been so long and she couldn’t bear the anticipation any longer. Positioning herself astride his hips she lowered herself onto him, feeling him between her thighs. Slowly, teasingly, she allowed him in. Jason’s hands were on her hips now and he pulled her down onto himself, ignoring his protesting ribs as he thrust upwards, filling her so that she cried out in pleasure. They moved slowly and rhythmically. Jenny rocked her hips and allowed the intense sensation to overwhelm her, as he thrust ever deeper. Tilting her head back she cried out his name, spiralling into her orgasm as he emptied himself into her.

Chapter 73  
Later, as they lay side by side, Jenny propped herself up on one elbow and looked into his eye’s. He may have been making a good recovery physically, but she was worried that he still wouldn’t talk about the attack – not with anyone. The police had interviewed him and he had given them the bare facts, as best as he remembered them, and had told them about the history between him and Stephanie, but that was all. She knew he still had nightmares, the nurses had told her that much, and she often noticed a haunted look in his eyes when they were alone together. But if she ever asked what was wrong he would just smile and tell her he was fine. He had that look again now, as though his mind was somewhere else.  
“Jay, shall we invite Howard over later?” She asked gently “I really think you two should talk properly. It would do you both good. You can’t keep everything bottled up forever” She knew Howard had struggled the past few weeks too, he had told her so on a couple of occasions. He had really believed he was going to lose his best friend that night, and the memories of what he had seen still plagued him. When Howard had visited at the hospital he and Jason had both studiously avoided talking about the one thing that really needed to be discussed. Instead they had joked and messed around like a pair of kids, both trying to steer the conversation away from what had happened. In all honesty, Jenny needed to hear the whole story too, her imagination kept running wild every time she thought about it, maybe if they all sat down and talked, it would be the first step towards moving on and putting the whole thing behind them.  
“I don’t know Jenny” Jason replied “What good would it do raking it all up again, maybe it would be better to try to forget all about it”  
“Oh Jason” She said, kissing him tenderly “How can you possibly forget about something like that?! The only way you’re ever going to be able to move on, is to make some sense of it in your own mind, and you’ll only be able to do that if you actually talk about it. You are the last person I would ever have expected to try to deny your feelings, why won’t you accept that you might need some help? It’s nothing to be ashamed of after all you’ve been through”  
“I’m not ashamed” Jason sighed deeply rubbing his hands over his face. “If I’m honest, I’m shit scared. I’m afraid of having to relive it all again and having to deal with my feelings. I know you’re right and I’ll have to do it sometime but I don’t know if I can, not right now, and I don’t know if Howard will even want to talk about it. It must have been pretty awful for him too, and I don’t want to force him to go over it all again”  
“We all need to do this Jason” Jenny insisted “I need to know the truth so my imagination stops filling in the blanks for me. Howard needs to tell you how he felt that night, because there’s nobody else he can tell. And you need to face it and let your feelings out, it’s not healthy to pretend it never happened. You know you can tell me anything, I’m not going to judge you or love you any less.”  
“OK, you win” He sighed at last “But can we make it tomorrow? If I’m going to do this then I want time to do it properly, and I’m knackered now”  
Jenny stroked his stubbly cheek and kissed him. “It’ll be ok, you know” She said softly “It might be hard to talk about it, but you’ll feel better afterwards and I’ll be here for you. We can take all day if that’s what you need. I’ll give Howard a call – I know he’ll be only too happy to come over.” She slid out of bed and padded through to the living room to make the call. 

Chapter 74  
When she got back to the bedroom ten minutes later Jason had fallen asleep. He looked so peaceful that Jenny couldn’t bring herself to wake him. She lay beside him, listening to his breathing and watching his chest rise and fall. She stroked a strand of hair away from his face and smiled to herself. It was so good to have him home. An hour later she was still lying there next to him when he opened his eyes.  
“Hi babe” He smiled.  
“Hi yourself” Jenny grinned, she leaned across to kiss him lightly on the cheek “Feeling better for a sleep?”  
“Mmm, yes thanks. Refreshed and ready for action” He grinned, reaching out to fondle her breast.  
She slapped his hand playfully and laughed “You are a very naughty boy! I thought you were supposed to be taking things easy!”  
“Spoilsport” He pouted, sticking out his bottom lip.  
Jenny leaned across and kissed him, before climbing out of the bed. She would have loved to stay and make love again, but common sense told her that maybe once was enough today. She glanced back as she left the bedroom and noticed that distant look in his eyes again. As soon as he caught her eye it was gone - replaced by a smile – but there was no denying that it had been there. She hoped that maybe tomorrow he would finally stop shutting her out, and let her understand how she could help him move on.  
In the kitchen she flicked the kettle on and opened the fridge, seeking inspiration for dinner. She found chicken and some vegetables and set about making a stir fry. She was standing at the worktop slicing the vegetables when Jason entered the kitchen. Standing behind her he swept her hair to one side and kissed the back of her neck, and she felt that familiar tingle of excitement ripple through her body. She could feel him close behind her, his warm breath on her neck. He snaked one arm around her, his hand slid under her tee shirt and rested on her stomach, and his thumb moved lightly over her skin. Jenny felt her muscles contract involuntarily under his soft touch. He felt it too, and his hand moved lower, he started unbuttoning her jeans, slipping his hand inside.  
Resisting the urge to give in to his touch, Jenny turned to face him and put her hands on his shoulders.  
“Jason Orange, you are impossible! The doctors said you need to take things slowly and not overdo it once you got home, remember? Anyway, no matter how careful we are I bet it still hurts you and……” His lips met hers, stopping her in mid-sentence. When they parted he smiled and gently brushed his fingers down her cheek.  
“OK, you win” He sighed “But can I help it if I’ve missed having you to myself?”  
“I’ve missed you too Jason, so much! But you’re home now and we have all the time in the world. I don’t want to break you again straight away!” She kissed him again “Now go and sit down and I’ll finish making dinner?”  
Chapter 75  
By the time they had eaten the meal that Jenny had prepared and she had cleared away the dishes, it was pretty obvious that Jason needed to rest. She returned to the living room to find him struggling to get up from the soft sofa, clutching his ribs as he pulled himself to his feet. He didn’t remember it being such a long way up before.  
“I’m sorry babe, but I’m going to head for bed” He apologised, wincing as he tried to stretch.  
“That’s ok” Jenny replied. She crossed the room, kissing his cheek. It still broke her heart every time she saw him in pain. “Do you need some painkillers?”  
“No, I’ll be fine once I get to bed, I’ve just got a bit sore sitting for too long that’s all” He was trying to avoid taking more pills now, unless things got really bad. He had always hated filling himself with chemicals, and he reckoned he’d had far too many medications over the last few weeks.  
Jenny watched him as he headed to the bedroom, wishing he wasn’t such a stubborn sod. Why would he not just make life a little easier for himself occasionally. By the time she had finished cleaning up in the kitchen, and made her way to the bedroom, he had managed to undress and get into bed. She climbed in beside him, wriggling close. She would have loved to cuddle him, to wrap her arms around him and hold him tightly. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder and gently stroked his chest, tracing patterns with her fingertips. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair.  
“I love you Jason” she whispered.  
“I love you too babe” He murmured sleepily.  
They stayed there, snuggled together as they drifted off to sleep.  
Jenny was woken with a start in the early hours of the morning by Jason’s anguished moans, he was having a bad dream, tossing his head from side to side on the pillow and gasping for breath.  
“Jason! Jason – wake up!” Jenny shook his shoulder, desperately trying to rescue him from his nightmare. His eyes snapped open and he tried to sit up, but stopped short, gasping in pain and slumping back onto the pillow.  
“Shit!” He gasped “Shit, sorry….did I wake you?”  
“You were having a nightmare.” Jenny kissed him gently, stroking his hair as his breathing slowly returned to normal. “Are you ok? Do you want to tell me about it?”  
“No, I’m fine now, really. I’m sorry if I scared you babe.” He didn’t know how to begin explaining the dreams. They were vague and dark, and all he ever remembered when he woke was that he felt as though he was drowning, struggling for every breath – it was the exact same feeling he remembered from the night of the attack, when he was in the ambulance and was convinced he was about to die. Strangely, he didn’t remember being scared at the time, just very tired and totally defeated, he had been ready to give up. Now however, it was getting to the stage where he dreaded going to sleep, he couldn’t go on like this. He knew Jenny was right, he really needed to talk to Howard about that night, to fill in the gaps in his memory and confront the feelings he had been burying for the last month, but still the thought of having to rake it all up again filled him with dread.

Chapter 76  
Next morning when Jenny woke she found herself alone in the bed. Glancing at the clock she was surprised to see that it was 9am already. She could hear running water in the bathroom, Jason was in the shower. A few minutes later he emerged, still dripping wet, with a towel around his hips. He ran his hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face. God, he was so beautiful, it almost took her breath away!  
“Good morning babe” He said with a smile.  
“Morning gorgeous” She replied. Jumping out of bed, she walked across the bedroom and planted a kiss on his lips. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his wet body, but immediately felt him tense under her embrace, breathing in sharply through gritted teeth. “Oh God, Jason, I’m sorry. That was so stupid of me!” She stepped back, releasing him from her arms and softly running her hand over his chest and resting her forehead lightly on his shoulder. A tear ran down her cheek and she brushed it away, she desperately wanted to hold him properly.  
He lifted her chin with his hand and stroked her face. “Don’t cry Jenny” He said softly “I’m not made of glass you know. Let’s try that again, ok? Slowly this time” He took her arm and guided it around the left side of his body, pressing it firmly against his damp skin. “See, this side is fine” He said, and kissed her as she looked up into his eyes. Taking her other hand he placed it around his right side, low down near his hip. “There, problem solved” he smiled. He put his arms around her and kissed her again, this time his tongue probed her lips and she willingly responded. They stood locked together, his wet body pressed against her as their tongues entwined. The moment was broken by the buzz of the intercom at the front door.  
“Bloody hell, is that Howard already?” Jason groaned “I was enjoying that… the one time I would actually have liked him to be late, the bugger decides to turn up on time!”  
He winked at Jenny as he passed her to answer the door, leaving her to hurry around the bedroom, dressing quickly and tidying her hair as best she could. She could hear the boys talking in the living room now, Howard was laughing, teasing Jason about the fact that he was still wrapped in a towel. She smiled, it was always good to hear them together.  
“Hi Howard” She smiled when she joined them a moment later “Good to see you”  
“Hi hun” Howard kissed her cheek and hugged her “Thanks for asking me over today”  
Jason disappeared back into the bedroom to get dressed and Jenny went to put the kettle on. Howard followed her into the kitchen.  
“So how’s he doing” He asked quietly “Is he ok with this whole ‘let’s talk about it’ thing?”  
“I think so” Jenny answered “He knows he needs to do it, but it’s going to be difficult I think. Maybe if you talk first, you know, say what you need to say, then he’ll feel he can open up too”  
When they got back into the living room, a few minutes later, carrying mugs of tea there was still no sign of Jason. It still took him a while to get himself dressed, bending and stretching was still a problem, but he should be ready by now. Jenny went to the bedroom and found him sitting on the side of the bed with his head in his hands. She sat beside him and put an arm around his shoulders.  
“Hey, are you ok?” She asked quietly.  
He straightened up slowly and looked at her, a smile formed on his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes. That haunted, sad expression that he had tried to hide from her was there again now, and it made Jenny want to cry, she longed to be able to do something to help him.  
“Come on Jason” She said, kissing his stubbly cheek. She stood up and took his hand, encouraging him to follow her. “Let’s do this.” 

Chapter 77  
They sat together on the sofa, Jason in the middle with Howard on one side and Jenny on the other. Jenny had left the three mugs of tea and a box of mansize tissues on the glass coffee table. Howard broke the slightly uncomfortable silence. He took a long, rather too loud, slurp of his tea and started talking.  
In typical Howard style he was honest and to the point, he told it how it was. He had been terrified he was going to lose his best friend. As he talked about what he had seen that night and about how he had felt, Jenny began to realise that even her vivid imagination hadn’t come close to the horror of what had really happened. She could hardly begin to imagine how Howard must have felt as he had held Jason and watched him bleeding and fighting for every breath. Tears poured down her face as she listened to Howard’s version of events, and she finally began to understand why Jason had been so reluctant to relive it. Howard cried too, as he told them how he had watched Jason being loaded into the ambulance and had truly believed that would be the last time he would ever see him. Jenny remembered how he had looked when he had come to the flat, still covered in blood, to tell her what had happened. She would be forever grateful that he had come himself, and that she hadn’t had to hear the news from some uniformed policeman. She realised now just how hard it must have been for him.  
Jason sat quietly, with an arm around Howard’s shoulders as he listened to his friend pouring his heart out to them.  
“Dougie, mate” He said when Howard fell silent “I’m so sorry! I’ve been such a dickhead not letting you talk about this before. Why didn’t you just tell me to get a bloody grip and stop being such a selfish prat? You should never have had to carry that around with you for all this time.”  
“You had to be ready too Jay. I was just a spectator in all this at the end of the day wasn’t I? It was you that it happened to. But it’s been so bloody good to get it off my chest today. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my whole life as I was that night.” The life of the party, joke for every occasion Howard disappeared for a moment as he turned at look Jason in the eye “But if I was that scared I can’t imagine how you’ve been feeling, and I’m not surprised you haven’t wanted to talk about it. But Jenny’s right mate, keeping it bottled up isn’t going to help.”  
Jason sighed and stood up. That sofa was way too low he decided, and too soft, he just couldn’t get comfortable sitting there. Jenny and Howard watched as he straightened up and walked across to the window. Staring out at the street below, he took a deep breath and started talking. He remembered seeing Stephanie in the crowd that evening and feeling pleased to see her, never in a million years had he thought she might have been behind those letters. He remembered leaning over the barrier to sign a photo for a fan, and then he remembered the shock and confusion and the chaos that had broken out around him.  
He paused, turning to face the others. Howard gave him a nod of encouragement, but when he looked at Jenny he saw that she was struggling to hold back the tears. He had got this far, and he wanted to be open and honest, but he also wanted to protect her. There was nothing good and uplifting to say about that night, he couldn’t put any sort of positive spin on it. All he could remember was fear and pain and a gradual acceptance that he was dying, and he didn’t want her to hear any of it.  
“Jenny, babe” He said softly “You don’t have to listen to this, you know.” He walked behind the sofa and rested his hands on her shoulders. “Do you want us to stop and do this some other time?”  
“No. No…. This was my idea. You need to do this Jason” She tilted her head back to look at him “I’m fine, really. Just say whatever you need to say.” She brushed away a tear and smiled up at him.  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yes. I’m absolutely sure. Please just tell us about it”  
So he did. From beginning to end, every memory and every feeling. From the moment Stephanie had lunged at him and thrust a knife between his ribs, to the moment he woke in the hospital. Once he started it all just poured out, and as he put it into words for the first time he was finally able to make some sort of sense of it. There were gaps in his memory, stuff that Howard had talked about that he had no recollection of at all. But as he talked he began to remember important details, like Mark standing shivering in the rain because he had used his coat as a pillow, Gary on the verge of tears, Howard holding his hand as he lay bleeding on the wet pavement and Jenny at his bedside when he had woken up on the hospital ward. It was these details that somehow brought him comfort, knowing that they had been there for him, and that he hadn’t been alone.  
As he finished talking Jenny was at his side, she slipped her arms around him carefully and held him. Howard joined them, putting an arm around Jason’s shoulder and the three of them shared that moment of unity. After a few seconds Howard moved away, leaving them in each other arms.  
“You know what we all really need now?” He said seriously as he sat back down on the sofa.  
“No, what?” Jenny asked, turning to look at him. Not sure what words of wisdom he was about to share with them.  
“Nandos!” He grinned “Hot sauce with extra hot on the side!”  
An hour later they were sitting in a booth at the back of the restaurant with plates of chicken and cold beers in front of them. Jason was more relaxed than Jenny had seen him since they were together at the cottage all those weeks ago. They laughed at Howard’s stupid jokes until Jason had to plead with him to stop, holding his sore ribs as he suppressed the giggles. The boys had a macho competition to see who could eat the most extra hot sauce – Howard won. Jenny sat smiling at them - they really were like a pair of little boys. 

Chapter 78  
Back in the flat that evening, they ate soup with crusty bread and drank red wine and sat snuggled on the sofa listening to music and talking about the future. Jason was getting frustrated with being unable to do much, and was thinking about getting back to work. The album was still on hold, and he hated that he was being held back by his own body. Gary, Mark and especially Howard had told him there was no rush, but the more they told him to take his time the more he wanted to be working again.  
“Do you honestly think you’d be able to do it now?” Jenny asked seriously “You’ve already said it’ll mean long days for weeks on end. Maybe you should give yourself a couple more weeks at least. If you push yourself too hard you might end up sick again”  
“No, I’ll be fine once we get started. Anyway, it’s not my breathing that’s the problem now it’s just moving around, and if I can breathe then there’s no reason why I can’t start singing” He insisted “Anyway it could take a while to book the studio time and get the producer on board again. I’m going to call Gaz tomorrow and tell him to get the ball rolling. The others have been waiting weeks already, and if we get going soon we might still get the album out by the autumn”  
Jenny sighed, he could be so stubborn sometimes, but at least he was being positive and looking to the future. She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder and he looped his arm around her to hold her close, kissing the top of her head.  
“Fancy an early night?” He whispered seductively. “Maybe we could pick up from where we were when Howie interrupted us this morning”  
“That sounds like an excellent plan” Jenny grinned. Standing and offering Jason her hand to help him up from the sofa. “What are we waiting for?”  
She shed her clothes on the way to the bedroom, so that by the time they arrived next to the bed she was wearing only her red lace bra and knickers. Jason gave an appreciative whistle and grinned as he undid his belt, never taking his eyes off her. He unbuttoned his jeans, and Jenny slipped her hands into the waistband, pulling them and his boxers down together, until they fell to the floor. He stepped out of them and kicking them aside. Jenny dragged his tee shirt up and over his head and, gave the same appreciative whistle he had given her. He kissed her neck and ran his hands through her hair before reaching behind her to unfasten her bra. Jenny felt her body tingle as his hands moved over her skin, sliding down her back and into her knickers, pulling them down over her thighs. He caressed her buttocks and their bodies pressed together, so that she could feel him, hard against her thigh. They moved to the bed, and Jason eased himself down onto the crisp sheets, then smiling he took her hand and pulled her towards him. Jenny needed no further encouragement, she climbed astride his legs, and taking his erection in her hand, she massaged its length.  
“Oh fuck….Jenny” He moaned “That’s so good!”  
She felt him growing harder under her touch, as her teasing continued. Then, releasing her grip she adjusted her position, lowering herself onto him, feeling him throbbing between her thighs. He moaned louder and his hips thrust upwards, filling her completely, his hands caressing her buttocks as they moved in unison, spiralling together into an explosion of all consuming ecstasy. At last, when they were both totally spent, Jenny rolled away to lie breathless and exhausted beside him.  
“Come here babe” He whispered softly, pulling her close again, so that her head was resting against his chest. Jenny sighed, loving the feeling of his skin against her face, absentmindedly she ran her finger gently down the scar in the centre of his chest.  
“I guess I’ll be keeping my shirt on for the next tour eh…” He said wryly.  
Jenny lifted her head and looked at him, trying to gauge how he was really feeling. “The scars will fade” She said, kissing him “Give it a few months and you’ll hardly see them”  
But she knew he was right, they would never disappear completely. He would always carry those reminders of that night with him. 

Chapter 79  
Gary was delighted when Jason called to say he was ready to start work. Always a workaholic he had been kicking his heels for weeks, looking for things to occupy his time. Every time he saw Jason he was mentally gauging how close he was to being ready to work again. He hadn’t dared hope that it would be this soon – Jason still looked tired and, at best, uncomfortable most of the time – but if he said he was ready Gary wasn’t about to argue. After he hung up the phone he did wonder briefly if he should have told Jay to take another couple of weeks, not to rush back yet, but he was just so desperate to get into the studio.  
When Jason hung up the phone, he turned to Jenny with a grin.  
“There, all sorted” He said with a note of triumph, it was another step toward normality.  
Jenny was till doubtful about the whole thing, but she knew it was no good arguing. Jason had made up his mind and that was that. She sighed and looped her arms around his neck, planting a kiss on his lips.  
“I bet Gary was pleased wasn’t he?” She said. “I’ve never met anyone so driven to work”  
She had guessed that Gary wouldn’t try too hard to dissuade him from coming back, and part of her was annoyed that he was prepared to take chances with Jay’s health just to fulfil his own need to be busy. But then she told herself she was being unfair. He had never once pressured him in any way, and Jason was such a stubborn sod, once he’d made his mind up that he was ready he wouldn’t have allowed anyone to talk him out of it – not even Gary.  
“Yeah” Jason smiled “He was pretty happy. He’s going to try to get everything sorted so we can start work on Monday morning.”  
“That gives us four days of freedom then” Jenny mused. “How about if we head back to Rosebank for a few days? Do you think you could get me put on the insurance for your car, then I can drive us down there. It’s a shame to have the place standing empty, and it would be lovely to get away. The sea air might do you good too”  
Jason cupped her face in his hands and smiled down at her.  
“Hmmm. I like the sound of a few days away. But let you drive the Merc? I don’t know about that!” He watched her reaction, and tried to keep a straight face as she positively bristled with indignation.  
“I’m a very careful driver I’ll have you know” She pouted.  
“She’s a tricky old girl though. Not like these modern cars that almost drive themselves. It might be safer if I did the driving” He continued to wind her up. He had no doubt that Jenny was more than capable of driving down to the coast, and he knew perfectly well that he probably wasn’t ready to do it yet, but he was having fun now.  
“You can’t drive! And you’re forgetting, I’ve spent most of my life driving knackered old wrecks! Your’s won’t be too much of a challenge!” Jenny guessed he was winding her up and two could play at that game. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep a straight face as Jason looked aghast.  
“Old wreck!” He repeated “She is NOT an old wreck, she’s a classic, a work of art!”  
That was it, Jenny couldn’t control it any longer, she burst into fits of giggles.  
“You and that bloody car” She laughed. Jason laughed too then, pulling her close and kissing her.  
“I’ll call the insurance company” He said, when the giggles had died down “You’d better go and pack.”

 

Chapter 80  
They arrived at Rosebank late that afternoon. It looked different now, with spring flowers blooming in the garden and new leaves on the trees in the lane. Jenny parked the car outside the gate and smiled at Jason.  
“There” She said “We made it. It wasn’t so bad having me drive you was it?”  
“Hmm, I guess not” Jason conceded. He had to admit that she had coped pretty well with the idiosyncrasies of his beloved car.  
“Come on then” Jenny said, climbing out of the driver seat and stretching. The journey had taken a couple of hours, and the heavy steering and lack of power assisted anything, made driving hard work. “Let’s get inside”  
Jason unfolded his long legs from the passenger seat and slowly stood up. He had been too long sitting in one position, and the low seats hadn’t helped the situation. A couple of times on the journey down, he had thought about asking Jenny to stop so he could get out and stretch, but his stubbornness had stopped him. Now, he deliberately turned away from her as he painfully pulled himself upright, trying to hide the grimace on his face.  
“Hey, are you ok?” Jenny didn’t need to see his face, she knew from his body language that he was in pain, she’d seen it too many times over the past few weeks to mistake it.  
“Yeah, I’m fine babe, really. I’m just a bit sore from sitting too long.” He rotated his shoulders and carefully stretched his spine out, ignoring his protesting ribs. “Don’t think I’ll be carrying you across the threshold today though.”  
They found everything inside the cottage just as they had left it. A weekly cleaner ensured that everything was neat and tidy, and they found clean linen on the bed and fresh fluffy towels in the bathroom. Pulling Jenny close, Jason kissed her and ran his long fingers through her hair. Then releasing her, he peeled off his sweater and grinned.  
“Fancy a shower?”  
“Mmm, that sounds like a good idea” Jenny didn’t need asking twice. Within minutes they were standing together under the cascade of hot water. Jason’s hands moved slowly over her wet skin, massaging her body with sweet scented shower gel, as they kissed. Jenny slid her hands down his back to his hips, pulling him closer until their bodies pressed together.  
“I want you” He murmured into her neck. She felt his teeth graze her skin and moaned as his hand slid between her thighs. He grabbed her leg and pulled it up over his hip, and she felt his erection throbbing against her flesh. He pushed her back until her body was pressed against the tiled wall of the shower cubicle. Her breathing was ragged now and her hands twisted through his hair, as he bit her neck gently. He grabbed her other leg and lifted her seemingly effortlessly, so her legs were wrapped around him, supporting her thighs with his hands he thrust himself into her with such force that Jenny cried out in a mixture of pleasure and pain. He thrust again and again, deeper and deeper, all the time biting at her neck. Shit, he was going to give her such a hickey, but she couldn’t have cared less. The urgency of his lovemaking was enough to her breath away.  
“Oh God, Jenny” He moaned, between gasping breaths. In the back of her mind Jenny thought he probably shouldn’t be doing this, he was taking her full weight as he continued to thrust himself into her. But as quickly as the thought entered her head it was driven out by the orgasm that ripped through her body like a tornado. She felt him shudder as he emptied himself into her, crying out her name once more before lowering to the floor. He stepped back, leaning against the opposite wall of the shower, panting, he grasped his chest and grimaced at the pain in his ribs.  
“Jason, you bloody idiot!” Jenny stepped forward and slipped her arms around him “I knew that was a stupid thing to do! Are you ok?”  
“I’m fine” He said through gritted teeth. “That felt so fucking good! Hurt like a bitch, but so fucking good!” He took her face in his hands and kissed her again.  
“You’re impossible!” She said in exasperation. “Are you sure you’re alright?”  
He didn’t answer, instead he wrapped her in his arms and held her close, pulling her under the shower again and allowing the spray of hot water to rinse away the last of the soap from their bodies.

Chapter 81  
An hour later they were walking in the cool spring air, the beach was deserted and they walked hand in hand enjoying the peace and quiet. Jenny liked London, but she missed the countryside and the beach. The only sound they could hear was the sea as it lapped across the stones and the occasional squawk of the seagulls. Jason put his arm around her waist, pulling her close, he stopped walking and turned to face her. As she looked up at him he smiled and kissed her softly, his tongue gently probing her mouth.  
“I love you Jenny” He whispered as their lips parted. “I don’t think I could have got through the last few weeks without you there with me”  
“Oh Jason, I love you too” Jenny replied, gently cupping his face in her hands “And I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else except with you, even if you did scare the living daylights out of me!”  
“I’m sorry babe. I’ll try not to do it again” He smiled ruefully. “But I mean it, and I want to say thank you properly. I’ve been trying to find the right moment to give you this” He slipped his hand into the pocket of his coat and produced and small black velvet box.  
Jenny took the box and carefully opened it. Inside was the most gorgeous ring she had ever seen, it was white gold with a cluster of emeralds and diamonds.  
“Oh God, Jason. It’s beautiful!” She gasped.  
Taking the ring from the box he slipped it onto her finger, lifting her hand to his mouth he kissed it softly.  
“We’ve been through so much in the last couple of months” He said softly “And I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d decided I was more trouble than I was worth. But I hope we’re over the worst now, and I want you to know that I don’t ever want to lose you.”  
Without letting go of her hand, he dropped down onto one knee and looked up at her with a nervous smile. Jenny’s heart pounded in her chest, she could hardly believe this was happening. He took a deep breath before speaking again.  
“Jenny, I know you’re still married to David at the moment, and I don’t want to rush you into dealing with him, because I know how difficult it is. But I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So please Jenny, will you take this as an engagement ring. I don’t care how long it takes to sort out the legal stuff, I just want to know that one day you’ll be my wife.” He looked at her anxiously and added “If that’s not want you want, then I’ll understand. I know I’m not always easy to live with and I know it can be complicated sometimes, with the rest of the lads and the press and everything. And I want you to have the ring anyway as a gift, because you’re the most amazing woman I have ever met. But if you think you can put up with me, then I swear you’ll make me the happiest man on the planet”  
Almost too overcome with emotion to speak, Jenny nodded, smiling and crying simultaneously.  
“Yes” She managed to whisper. “Yes Jason!”  
He stood then, with the biggest, and most dazzling smile Jenny had ever seen. Gently cupping her face in his hands, he kissed away the tears of happiness that ran down her cheeks.  
“Well then, future Mrs Orange, I’d say that calls for a celebration wouldn’t you? Just as well there’s a bottle of champagne in the boot of my car eh?”  
“What a stroke of luck” Jenny laughed “I guess the champagne will do for starters, but I can think of a few other ways to celebrate later”  
“I like the sound of that” He grinned. And slipping an arm around her shoulders he pulled her close as they made their way, slowly back along the deserted beach towards the cottage. 

The End


End file.
